Friends of Garrett and Claudette Clarke, who were among three people shot dead in Norwood yesterday, remove possessions from the house where the couple was murdered.

MONTEGO BAY, St James - Two of three persons brutally murdered in Norwood just after midnight Wednesday, might have been killed because they were eyewitnesses to the first murder, according to a source with close ties to the community.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said Garrett Clarke, 49, a bus driver and his wife Claudette, 47, a receptionist who lived at the adjoining property, were killed because they were witnesses to the murder of their neighbour, Nitonye Christie, a 28 year-old mason.

Norwood, no stranger to violence, had locked up doors and windows for the night when gunmen invaded their homes in an area of the community known as "Gulf" shortly after midnight and opened fire on them.

The bloody news dampened the euphoria in the north coast resort city at a time when it was revelling in the fact that it had pulled off a huge tourism coup, by bringing the world's biggest cruise liner to Montego Bay.

St James Police liaison officer Peter Salkey said three gunmen, at about 12:10 yesterday morning, went to the Norwood area where they kicked down the door to Christie's house, demanded money, then shot him. They then went to the neighbouring house where the Clarkes lived with their two children and murdered the couple.

A brother of the deceased Christie said their 47 year-old-mother, whom he did not wish to name, was also shot and is in the hospital.

Salkey said the police were unable at this early stage of the investigation to say whether the gunmen received any money from Christie or whether they made any demands for money from the Clarkes. They also had not established a motive for the killings.

But the source told the Observer that residents of the community had reported that the Clarkes were murdered because they opened their windows and investigated the killing of their neighbour in the wee hours of the morning, after they heard gunshots.

"I was told they were killed because they opened their windows and looked out," the source added.

"I am not staying here," were the resolute words of Christie's brother when the Observer visited the community yesterday morning. He also did not wish his name or the names of any of his family to be published. The brother said that Christie was at home with his mother, sister, nephew and another brother at the time of the invasion. No other family member was at home when the newspaper visited.

He said as a Christian he was not in fear but he was no longer comfortable living in the area. He said he was not at home at the time of the incident and that as far as he knew there was no connection between his brother and the Clarkes and therefore could find no reason why they were both killed by the same persons.

Relocation was also on the agenda for the remaining half of the Clarke family as the grief stricken children, Simona and Gavin, packed up their belongings and headed out of the area. Simona, 16, with bandaged feet, wounded from spent shells, tried to give an account of the horrifying experience but broke down. Her brother, 13 and a lot stronger, was busy re-arranging their belongings on the passenger seat of his father's Corolla motor car, so that a family friend could accompany him as he could not drive alone. A neighbour kneeling by the car kept uttering "Mi caan believe it, Mi caan believe it", his face filled with utter disbelief. The children are now staying with family.

Few residents of the battle-scarred community, which has seen several gruesome murders in recent times, were out yesterday morning. A community member told the Observer that people in the area were very fearful and that this had been the case for many months now.

"You hardly find people even on their verandahs after dark, it is that bad."

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