A fragile peace arrangement, brokered in March by the rival communities of Tel Aviv and Southside in Central Kingston is under threat of being derailed by the antics of a gunman from the area.

Police and residents in the area say the gunman, an ex-convict, is hampering the efforts of the residents from both communities to maintain peace.

The accused man, who is from Southside, served a five-year sentence for gun-related crimes and since his release, sources in the area say, he is hell-bent on shedding blood.

“Him walk up and down with him gun in broad daylight and say him not into no peace,” one resident said.

The police say the man is responsible for shooting and injuring two men in the Tel Aviv area last week. The cops are also looking for a man known as “Alrick” who they say is a crony of the gunman.

According to the police, two men were standing at the corner of Barry and Hanover streets in Tel Aviv when a man rode up on a bicycle and opened fire.

“We have information that (the ex-convict) may have been involved in that shooting,” Superintendent Carlton Wilson told the Observer, “but the people won’t give him away. They want to kill him themselves.”

A resident of the area said the gunman was marked for death. “Him must go down, that’s all me a say,” the resident said.

The residents from both sides who want peace vowed not to bow in the face of the alleged gunman’s acts. They insisted that they will continue their meetings, last held Friday on the premises of Grace, Kennedy and Company, to discuss ways to defuse the tension.

Member of parliament Victor Cummings was worried that the latest round of violence would derail the peace efforts. “The police need to be allowed to come in and do their job,” Cummings told the Observer.

Rosie Hamilton, Jamaica Labour Party councillor for the area, confirmed that tension was mounting but said efforts were being made by persons on both sides to nip it in the bud. “It is true, and we as a community are trying to deal with it,” Hamilton said.

The Southside and Tel Aviv communities are part of Parade Gardens. The area has been beset by gang war and gun violence for years and after a spate of killings in the first four months of last year, a curfew was imposed by police on the Tel Aviv area. More than one year later, cops are still posted in the area.