ANGRY residents yesterday locked down sections of Waltham Park Road and Maxfield Avenue in Jamaica’s capital, Kingston, to protest against the police shooting of a community enforcer, commonly called an area don.

Police said the man, Dave Sterling, alias ‘Machine Man’, was shot by officers when he pulled a gun on members of a police patrol travelling on Collie Smith Drive in Trench Town shortly after 9:00 in the morning. Two men who were travelling with Sterling in a Toyota Corolla motor car were arrested, the police said.

A .45 semi-automatic pistol was seized following the incident, the police reported.

The shooting of their so-called community leader sparked a protest by residents.

“Is a whole big thing going on because of his death. We have officers clearing roadblocks here as well as on Gem Road since his shooting. They lit a big fire over on Gem Road, is the police had to go down there, because not even the fireman them want to go out it,” said Inspector King of the Hunt’s Bay Police Station.

“We have to keep a steady presence here right now because they start blocking the roads and you know that once they start doing that, is gunshot going to fire later,” the inspector said yesterday morning.

Yesterday, while detectives were processing the scene outside the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex, threats were alleged issued to residents of communities, off Waltham Park Road, who were accused of having a hand in the demise of their community leader.

Police said Sterling, 28, had criminal connections.

The shooting took place shortly after Sterling had reported to the Denham Town Police Station as a condition of his bail on gun-related charges.

In the meantime, police from the St Andrew Central Division yesterday detained 11 men and recovered three firearms during the pre-dawn raid in several Kingston communities.

Two of the men detained, according to Deputy Police Superintendent McArthur Sutherland, were ‘persons of interest’ in connection with two murders committed early this year.

“One of the murders that we suspect they might be involved in is that of Oral Clarke, who was shot dead along Kintyre Drive last Sunday. At least three of the 11 persons arrested will be charged in short order,” Sutherland said, adding that the two men were also believed to be players in an extortion racket at the Papine Market in St Andrew.