WESTERN BUREAU – Sunday night’s double murder in the inner-city community of Flankers, St James, was the parish’s second double killing within 24 hours.

Police identified the dead men as Andre Patterson, 19, and 25 year-old Christopher McCauley, both of Capture Land in the community.

Residents of the area had little to say, admitting only that they had heard explosions at about 9:15 Sunday night. Up to press time yesterday, it was still not clear if the men were shot while they were heading home or simply standing along the dirt track where they were found, suffering from gunshot wounds.

According to the Constabulary Communication Network liaison officer for St James, Constabulary Camille Tracy, the men’s neighbours, who thought McCauley was already dead, worked with the police to get help for Patterson.

However, he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Cornwall Regional Hospital. McCauley died some time later while undergoing treatment, the police said.

Up to press time, cops had no motive for the killings.

Patterson and McCauley were killed hours after gunmen snuffed out the lives of two men and injured a third, as they were coming from a wake in the ‘Gulf’ section of Norwood.

The dead men have been identified as Michael Falconer, 33, otherwise called ‘Bird Seed’; and Omar Nelson, 31, who is also called ‘Nangco’. Both Falconer and Nelson were wanted on gun-related and rape charges, cops said.

According to police reports, three men opened fire on the three men and a woman as they were returning home from a wake Saturday night. Falconer was killed on the spot, while Nelson was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. Citizens said Falconer was shot 21 times. The third man is said to be in critical but stable condition in hospital. The woman was not hurt.

Observer sources said Falconer was the head of a Norwood gang involved in a feud with men from Flankers and another neighbouring community called Homehill. The feud is said to have stemmed from a gun that Falconer borrowed and failed to return. Residents said Falconer’s killers took a gun from his body, but the police could not confirm this.

Thirty-nine persons have been killed in St James since the start of the year.