ASSISTANT Police Commissioner Les Green, head of the Major Investigation Task Force, has shot down a claim by North Central St Andrew MP Karl Samuda that the police are partial in their investigation of the bloodletting which has so far left 23 persons dead and 13 others wounded in the depressed community of Common, located off Red Hills Road.

“We have absolutely no bias. We are very firm and meticulous,” Green told the Observer. “That is totally out of the question,” he added.

Samuda, in a story published in the Observer on Monday, claimed that the police had mishandled their investigations by naming Common resident Cleveland “Cassie” Downer as a wanted man and not mentioning the names of those who attacked him.

Downer, once regarded as the reputed area leader in the volatile community, has been shot at least seven times by his former allies who have allegedly turned against him.

Green, Samuda said, has been creating excitement and agitating the residents of the area by “blabbing off his mouth”.

But Green said Downer was not wanted by the police, however, cops were seeking to have ‘audience’ with him.

“Downer has not named who shot him. We have not been able to speak to him since the incident and we can only work when witnesses come forward,” Green told the Observer.

To date, no one has been taken into custody in connection with the injury of Downer and three others and the murder of Ezra Patrick, also called ‘Slicer’, who was shot and killed during the attack at Downer’s residence.

So far, three persons have been held by cops in connection with the violence in Common. They have been identified as Richard Roy Harrison, also called “Bassie”, a suspect in the murder of Angella Ashley, who was shot and killed in front of a restaurant on Red Hills Road; 21-year-old Lucan Campbell, accused of shooting and wounding with intent; and Andrew Hamm, also called “Baby Wayne”, being sought for the murder of Lorne Green at 100 Sunrise Crescent.

Police said they were also seeking Courtney Fowler, also called “Train Head” and “Jav”, for the murder of taxi driver Constantine Faulkner at Chancery Lane; Ian Simpson, also called “Giant” and “Perryman” for the murders of Gary Smith and Ronald Mitchell at 138-142 Red Hills Road; a man known only as “Joe Joe” for shooting and wounding with intent; and Denver Pink and Javaughn Roberts, for their alleged involvement in the murder of Lorne Green.

“We are not going to relent and will focus our energies on capturing those who have disrupted life in the area,” Green said Thursday.

Police have blamed the splintering of a well-organised criminal network based in the tough neighbourhood as the cause of the violence.