RESIDENTS of Sterling Castle in the hills of St Andrew are on edge over the murder of a well known businessman in the community yesterday.

Police report that at about 7:00 am, the body of 40-year-old Carlton Bryan, a professional welder, was found with several chop wounds at the front of a property on which he worked as a maintenance operator for several years.

His hands and feet were bound.

Residents in the area have theorised that robbery was behind the brutal attack. However, the police up to late yesterday had not established a motive.

“From the other day, ah pure robbery a gwaan in the area; but this killing has left us in shock. All now mi cyaan come to terms with the news,” said Barrington Johnson, who worked with Bryan for several years.

The police have confirmed that residents, in recent months, have been complaining about an increase in robberies in the area.

Yesterday, Johnson and other people who gathered at the death scene called on the police to increase their presence in the area.

Delroy Campbell, another resident, spoke of Bryan in glowing terms.

“The man was a good man; him help people in the community and we are calling on the police to step up their investigations in the case,” said Campbell, as he fought back tears.

The news was even more painful for relatives who turned up at the scene.

“Right now the news has left me in a state… ah can’t even talk,” exclaimed one family member, who asked not to be named.

The St Andrew North Police have since launched an investigation into the matter.