RESIDENTS of the usually quiet Central Clarendon community of Bucknor wore sad faces yesterday as they mourned Wednesday night’s brutal slaying of two of their own – police constable Joshua Black and Gregory Elvey, a 23 year-old resident.

Wednesday night’s shooting by gunmen of the two and the injury of a teenager while they watched the telecast of the Jamaica/USA football match, forced residents to block the roads yesterday as they expressed their disgust at the crime.

The Bucknor main road was littered for miles with boulders, old car and truck shells, logs, felled trees and other forms of debris. Residents told the Observer that Black, who was a scene of the crime investigator assigned to the Area Three police division, was born in the area and was one of the best cops on the force.

“Him was the best police we know. Them kill him brutal and we can’t condone them kind of things around here,” said one resident. The police reported that Black and Elvey were killed as they watched the Reggae Boyz’ failed effort to advance to the next round of World Cup football qualification. Two gunmen, the police said, approached a group of people who were watching the television set under a tent in the community and opened fire, hitting the policeman about eight times before relieving him of his two guns – his licensed 9mm pistol and his service pistol.

“Just after Jamaica score, them pounce on him and start wet him. The boy go over him and shot him nuff time before them search him and take the two gun,” one man said.

Elvey was shot once in the back of his head. Both men died on the spot.

The police yesterday reported that four men had been taken into custody in connection with the double murder. One of the men, the police said, lives in the Bucknor community and it is believed that he pointed out the policeman to the gunmen.

The police theorised yesterday that Black was killed in revenge for the fatal shooting of a man by the police on November 1. The man, identified only as “Isaac”, was shot and killed in Carr Hill, Rock Hall, Clarendon when he was among a group of men who challenged members of a police party who had attempted to accost them.

A policeman was shot and injured during that incident. Both Isaac and the injured policeman were taken to hospital but Isaac died while undergoing treatment and the cop was treated and released. Isaac, the police said, was wanted in connection with the Election Day massacre in which seven persons were shot and killed in Rock Hall.

Residents believe Isaac’s cronies were responsible for Wednesday night’s double murder. “They were in the area from morning and someone must have pointed out Joshua as a policeman. Them kill him because them say is a police kill them friend so them a go kill back a police,” one resident told the Observer. “But not Joshua. him was too loved around here,” added the resident. Constable Black and Elvey were neighbours and yesterday relatives of both men were beside themselves with grief.

“He was a good brother and everyone in the community loved him,” said Black’s sister Sandra Black-Oniel, as she stared at the blood-stained spot where her brother was assassinated. Dick Elvey, Gregory’s father, could hardly finds words to express his sorrow. Gregory Elvey was his last child and his death seemed just too much for the elderly man to take.

“Him was so frightened that when the shooting start him couldn’t move. Him just sit down and watch as them shoot up Joshua and when them a leave them shoot him inna him head,” the grieving man said with a tremble in his voice. The killing of the policeman yesterday drew condemnations from police commissioner Francis Forbes, the Police Federation and opposition spokesman on national security Derrick Smith.