Deadly silence
SSP says MoBay triple murder could have been prevented if residents gave cops info
Published:Monday | July 15, 2024 | 12:08 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Senior Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels believes that last Tuesday’s triple murder in Montego Bay, St James, could have been prevented if residents had been more willing to provide information to the police prior to the incident.
Addressing last Thursday’s monthly sitting of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC), Samuels, who is the head of the St James Police Division, stated that the shooting deaths of 62-year-old David West, 26-year-old Rashaun Williams, and 17-year-old student Jaydon Bennett stemmed from an incident on Monday night of which the police had not been informed until after Tuesday’s deadly attack.
“From June 9 to July 9, approximately 30 days, we went without a murder in St James. This was broken on Tuesday with a triple murder in the Canterbury space; fortunately, we responded the way we ought to, which was instantly, and were able to seize two firearms from the main suspect, and he fled. However, he turned himself in, based on the pursuit we had of him,” Samuels told the meeting.
“Part of the issue we are facing is that the public needs to work with the police and provide us with information. There was an incident that happened [Monday] night ... . If we had had additional information prior to that, if we had known all about it, all of this would have been avoided. We are asking residents to work with the police so we can ensure your safety and security,” Samuels added.
Members of a police team allegedly came under gunfire while responding to report a shooting along King Street in Montego Bay last Tuesday afternoon.
After the shooting subsided, West, Williams, and Bennett – who were all of Upper King Street addresses – were found in different parts of the community suffering from gunshot wounds. They were taken to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Two firearms were seized in the aftermath.
On Wednesday, 32-year-old John Lee Roach, who had been listed as a person of interest in the case and was also reportedly wanted for a murder in Hanover and for absconding bail in a shooting with intent case, surrendered to the Falmouth police in Trelawny.
A second suspect, Kasheem ‘Borderline’ Lewis, has been asked to turn himself in.
‘HIP STRIP’ FOCUS
In the meantime, while presenting the JCF’s report about policing activities in St James for June, Samuels told the StJMC that extra focus will be centred along Jimmy Cliff Boulevard – the famed ‘Hip Strip’ in Montego Bay – and that community policing and youth intervention strategies will be given continued emphasis.
“It takes having all hands on deck to ensure that we create that safe environment that we want. All of us have a vested interest in ensuring the safety and security of the public, and of the visitors here, and we will be ramping up our operations along the Jimmy Cliff Boulevard, which we know is a problem. and we are going to require a lot of infrastructure help to get it done in terms of lighting and other amenities being sorted out,” said Samuels.
“We intend to ensure that we remain responsive to the communities by ensuring that we build out the neighbourhood watch groups and the police youth clubs. We are taking that community-led approach to crime fighting while we continue storming with the operational responses,” Samuels continued.
According to the St James police’s report, five murders were recorded in the parish for June, all before the 30-day period of quiet that began on June 9.
St James has recorded at least 76 murders since the start of the year, making it the police division with the highest homicide tally.