MONTEGO BAY, St James

The police have established a link between Sunday night’s slaying of ‘Goldfinger’, the proprietor of popular Montego Bay exotic night club and last week’s fatal stabbing of a patron at that entertainment facility.

Fifty-nine-year-old Horace “Goldfinger” Brown, of Fletcher’s Drive, Paradise Acres in the parish, died while undergoing treatment at the Cornwall Regional Hospital early Monday morning.

Deputy Superintendent in charge of crime for St James, Mevral Smith, told the Observer West that the police are now investigating to determine whether Brown’s murder was in reprisal for the fatal stabbing of a patron at his club last week, or was an attempt to eliminate him as a possible eye-witness.

“We believe that the murder had some impact either from the victim’s side or the killer. Word on the ground suggests it could be from either side. The victim’s side upset with how it was dealt with…. and it could be the killer’s side believing that he (Brown) had seen enough and is considered a witness although he had not said anything to the police in regards of what he might of seen or heard the night of the incident,” said DSP Smith.

The police reported that about 11:45 pm Brown was sitting on the verandah of the night club when he was approached by a lone gunman who opened fire hitting him several times.

Brown’s death comes sharply on the heels of that of Ricardo Spence, 23, of Piggot Street in Mount Salem who was stabbed by one of two men with whom he had an altercation one week ago at the popular exotic nightclub, located on Market Street in the city. He died at hospital while undergoing treatment.

When the Observer West visited the popular Montego Bay night spot Monday, the scene was gloomy. Solemn-looking employees were seen loading their belongings into a motor vehicle parked on the road in front of the hot entertainment spot. Two men were also observed washing away lumps of curdled blood from the spot where Brown was gunned down.

Meanwhile, Brown’s widow, a teary-eyed Jacqueline, was too overcome with grief to speak to the Observer West. When pressed on how long the club was in operation, “too long,” was her terse response.

A bartender who was on duty at the time of the shooting recounted that after the explosions were heard she was among the group of frightened employees and patrons who scampered to the back of the building for safety.

Brown was later discovered slumped in a chair on the verandah of the night club suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.