WESTERN BUREAU – Clarks Town residents yesterday were still struggling to understand the motive behind Saturday evening’s shooting of eight persons by rampaging gunmen, who turned their weapons on a grocery shop in the Trelawny community.

Two men succumbed to their wounds, identified as Carl East, 66, and another man known only as ‘Bad Rasta’; while the other six were admitted in hospital in serious condition.

The injured are Tyrone Stephenson, Robin Gray, Carlton Webby, Roy Little John, and two others known as ‘Dean’ and ‘Bongo’.

Two of the injured, one of whom has since undergone surgery, were considered critical.

When the Observer visited the scene, there were numerous gunshot holes all over the front section of the blue shop, made of board.

Inside, two refrigerators were decorated with gaping gunshot holes.

The police report that a group of armed men turned up at the shop at about 7:00 pm and began shooting at persons sitting inside.

The men made their escape on foot.

A number of 9mm and .45 spent shells were recovered from the scene. The Clarks Town police who are investigating have established no motive for the attack.

Member of Parliament for North Trelawny Dr Patrick Harris was among those to denounce the shooting, while offering condolences to the families of the deceased.

“I hope no means will be spared in bringing the perpetrators of this senseless killing to justice. This type of criminal activity cannot be allowed to continue to envelop hard-working members of the society in fear,” said Harris.

Meanwhile, Fernandez ‘Bingy’ Smith councillor for the Sherwood division, in which the shooting occurred, called on citizens to cooperate with police in their investigations.

“It is really heart-rending for Clarks Town to experience four really gruesome murders in two weeks. This has been evolving over a period of time with the social decay in the area of hopelessness and loss of jobs,” said Smith.

“I can only call on the citizens to remain calm and give whatever information they have to the police so that justice can be brought swiftly and clinically.”

One man, who was on his way from the shop at the time of the shooting, said that the gunshots illuminated the scene.

“When I heard the first shot and looked back it come in like a day, the way the place light up. A little after that, me hear a barrage of shots and two men run past mi and collapsed on the road,” he recounted.

The killings put the murder tally in Trelawny at seven since January.

Last year, 16 persons were murdered in the parish.

– hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com