GUNMEN invaded a wake in the wee hours of Sunday morning, and shot dead four men in a reprisal attack, one of whom was wanted for the high profile murder of businessman Maurice Azan and his stepson Lloyd Phang.

Police in Clarendon have confirmed that Otis Smith, 23, wanted in the parish in connection with the murders of the businessmen in May, during a robbery, was one of four men killed by gunmen early yesterday morning at a wake at Juno Crescent in May Pen.

Smith, who was from Paisley Settlement, Clarendon, was also wanted for the murder of Rudolph Turner, 57, another prominent businessman from Palmers Cross who promoted the popular ‘Your Turn’ show in the parish.

Police report that the four men killed last night were given no chance to defend themselves.

The police information arm, Constabulary Communication Network (CCN), reported that at about 12:15 am, a group of gunmen barged into the group of mourners at Juno Crescent and opened fire immediately, killing the four persons before making their escape.

Smith and the other victims – Moses Peart, 30, a taxi operator from Webb Lane, Palmers Cross; Nerrick ‘Rambo’ George, 34, from Bull Savannah, St Elizabeth and Aaron Chambers, 30, of an unknown address – were pronounced dead at the May Pen Hospital.

It was unclear whether the men killed were specifically targeted.

Investigators from the May Pen CIB say that Smith, a member of a prominent gang in Clarendon, was being sought by the police for the Azan/Phang murders, based on eyewitness accounts that he was seen fleeing the scene after the killings.

Azan and Phang were killed on May 14 during a robbery of their supermarket and wholesale store, staged by a gang of about seven armed men, who escaped with an undetermined quantity of cash.

The men fired wildly as they ran through the market, which is adjacent to Azan’s businessplace, the police said.

Azan, 70, was pronounced dead the same day, while Phang, 50, succumbed to his injuries two days later.

The murders sparked a national outcry from private sector bosses, who locked down their businesses for half-a-day to demand that government take more concrete steps to contain crime.

The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica – which represents the voice of corporate Jamaica – also pushed for, and got, politicians to declare that they would distance themselves from criminals, by signing a new political code of conduct.

But the killings continue unabated.

On the day of the private sector protest, staged at Emancipation Park, over 600 Jamaicans had been murdered to that point. Since then, homicides have crested the 1,500 mark, a new record that has eclipsed last year’s 1,471 deaths.

Yesterday, the police said their informants had also reported that Smith was one of several men heard discussing the “spoils” of the Azan robbery.

“There are some other persons who we are seeking. We don’t have any names at this time, just some descriptions,” a May Pen policeman told the Observer yesterday. “But Smith’s name was definitely called,” he said.

Another of the suspects was also shot dead in August in Mitchell Town, southern Clarendon, but the policeman gave no specifics of that shooting.

“We will be continuing our investigations,” he said.

reidt@jamaicaobserver.com