Murder, arson drive fear into Content residents
Published:Friday | January 22, 2021 | 12:15 AM
When gunshots rang out in the quiet community of Simon in Content, St Catherine, on Tuesday night, residents did not think twice. The idea of a murder being committed in their midst was the furthest thing from their minds.
But the frightening discovery that 53-year-old Lorraine Foster had been killed and her house fire-bombed has now left the district gripped with fear, many residents fearing to walk the streets after dark even as they arm themselves with cutlasses in the event of a surprise attack.
When The Gleaner visited the community yesterday, they were so fearful that they were reluctant to speak openly on the gruesome incident.
Reports from the police are that shortly after 8 p.m., armed thugs shot and killed Foster before her dwelling was set ablaze.
The Gleaner was told that one of Foster’s children was tied up by the hoodlums and taken outside, while another of her children returned from a nearby shop to see the house engulfed in flames. They were unharmed.
“Nobody wanted to come out until they were sure what was happening. I am so afraid. I don’t know how me come out to you,” said an elderly resident.
The residents are calling for an increased police presence in the community as the tension remains high.