A number of people from the tough uptown community known as Common, on Red Hills Road, spent last night with relatives and friends after arsonists yesterday torched their houses.

Residents say six houses inside a tenement yard were set ablaze in retaliation for the murder of five people and the injury of six others from that community on Sunday.

The police say one of the houses was occupied by the mother of Robert Brown, also called ‘Dinero’, who is reportedly wanted in connection with the attack that has left area leader Cleveland ‘Cassia’ Downer and six others hospitalised with gunshot wounds. The woman reportedly fled the area before the fire.

A number of policemen remained inside the tense community last night to maintain order.

According to the police, the bloodletting started after Brown and another man identified as Ian Simpson, also called ‘Giant’, allegedly opened fire on Downer and his mates as they were about to leave for Sunday’s Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Conference at the National Arena.

One man was killed, and Downer and four other people were injured. Downer was shot in the neck and upper body, police say.

In retaliation, people loyal to Downer allegedly murdered Simpson’s two brothers, while his father and another brother were left nursing gunshot wounds,

The gunmen then went to Lemon Way where they shot dead a man known only as Ezra.

Later that night, gunmen attacked and killed a man known only as “Curru” in the area. Police say “Curru” and Downer were at odds.

Then early yesterday morning, arsonists torched the tenement yard, burning six houses to the ground.

Head of the Police Area Five division, Assistant Commissioner Reggie Grant, said Dinero had been beaten by men loyal to Downer after Dinero questioned his share of a $500,000 gully maintenance contract.

“He was beaten over money some time ago and we believe he took out his grievance on Sunday,” Grant told the Observer.

However, residents say Downer was beaten because he attempted to extort money from a business in the area.

“Any man try that him get discipline. We nah extort nobody,” one resident said.

The police also say counterfeit money was being circulated in the area, and that may also be a reason for the recent conflict.

Yesterday, a few women and children sat on a corner in front of the burnt-out houses. They appeared nervous.

“Look what Common come to. All now we can’t believe it,” one woman said. The fear was evident in her eyes, but the woman vowed not to leave the community she has lived in for more than two decades.

“Me nah lef Common a yah so a my home mi nuh care wha,” the woman said.

The violence also resulted in a slight drop in attendance at the nearby St Richard’s Primary School yesterday.

“We have had a drop in attendance, but things have run normally,” school principal Vera Buckley told the Observer.

Earlier in the day, Member of Parliament for North Central St Andrew Karl Samuda toured the community in a bid to reassure residents that calm would be restored in the area.