MONTEGO BAY, St James — The St James police are theorising that Wednesday evening’s murder of 41-year-old Omar “King Evil” Lewis, who was cut down in a hail of bullets in a drive-by shooting, was triggered by an internal gang feud.

The police say the 41-year-old strongman of the inner-city Canterbury community in Montego Bay was the alleged leader of the Nation Crocs gang.

“I personally suspect that the shooting stemmed from an intra-gang warfare,” Commander of the St James Police Division Senior Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth told the Jamaica Observer.

Earlier this year, Lewis was reportedly deported from the United States, where he had fled to from St James in 2008 and where he was facing a murder charge.

SSP Nesbeth recounted that on Friday, June 16, Steven Elvis Malcolm, who was the leader of the Nation Crocs gang while Lewis was living abroad, was slain on the busy Kent Avenue by men carrying high-powered weapons. The men shot up the car in which he was travelling.

The senior police officer said the shooters ambushed Malcolm shortly after he had left court and was on his way to his Canterbury home.

The gunmen left two motor vehicles at the scene, which were seized by the police.

In the meantime, according to Superintendent Gary McKenzie, head of operations in the St James Police Division, about 7:00 pm on Wednesday, explosions were heard coming from a section of the Catherine Hall area. When the police responded, they reportedly saw the bullet-riddled body of Lewis slumped in the driver’s seat of a Toyota Axio motor car that had been peppered with bullets.

Superintendent McKenzie also disclosed that during a subsequent search of the motor vehicle, a 9mm Taurus pistol with a magazine and 13 rounds of ammunition was found.

As news spread of Lewis’s killing, several explosions were heard in the Canterbury area.

“However, the police swiftly moved in to fortify the area with assistance from the military, and we quickly ensured that citizens moving in and around the township of Montego Bay were able to do so with minimum risk. And we are maintaining such presence and posture as we carry out further investigation as to who were the perpetrators of this crime,” Superintendent McKenzie said.

Meanwhile, SSP Nesbeth sought to assure the public last night that security has been beefed up in the city of Montego Bay, including the Canterbury area.

He also called on individuals who might have witnessed Wednesday’s killing to reach out to the police with any information they may have. He said that any information provided will be treated with the strictest confidence.