THE murder of a father of three by heartless gunmen on Thursday has prompted fearful residents of Byndloss, a community located a few miles outside of Linstead in St Catherine, to call for greater police presence in the area.

The dead man has been identified as 47-year-old welder Alderman Lennox.

Lennox’s body was found face-down in his yard shortly after residents reported hearing several explosions at approximately 6:30 am.

“We need the police to increase their presence in the area. This is something which has left us in fear,” said a woman, who was among several people gathered near the crime scenes as detectives combed for clues.

“…We believe that when [the police] increase their presence in other town areas, criminals tend to run to rural areas to seek cover,” said a man in the crowd.

Lennox’s murder came a day after three men were shot and killed in another section of the St Catherine North Police Division — John’s Road in Spanish Town — where several curfews have been imposed. The three who were murdered on Wednesday have been identified as 21-year-old Raymond Franklin, 36-year-old Garfield Thomas, and 17-year-old Spanish Town High student Mark McDermoth.

Reports are that at about 8:55 am, McDermoth was at home, getting ready for school, when two armed men entered the house and shot him repeatedly. The gunmen allegedly shot Franklin as they were leaving the premises. The incident followed the killing of Thomas an hour earlier near Job Lane.

Since the start of the week, police have imposed a curfew in the St Catherine North and South Police Divisions.