THE St Andrew South police have increased their presence in the McKenley Crescent and Simmonds Park areas of Olympic Gardens, following the escalation of a gang war in the neighbouring communities that resulted in three people being fatally shot on McKenley Crescent on Sunday.

The dead have been identified as 31-year-old Chrismar Hadol, 32-year-old Meschado Smith otherwise called Niney, and 36-year-old David Archer.

A 45-year-old man was also shot in the incident which occurred shortly after 9:00 pm.

Police sources say over the past month, the war involving gangsters from McKenley Crescent and Simmonds Park has been raging.

At least six people have been killed in the area in recent times.

When the Jamaica Observer team visited the community yesterday, head of the St Andrew South Police Division, Senior Superintendent Wayne Cameron was seen conducting an operation. Cameron told the Observer that efforts are being made to put a lid on the violence in the community.

The McKenley Crescent area has been tense in the past few months.

On March 15, Rohan Henry was fatally shot and his brother shot and injured in the community. Residents told the Observer yesterday that the two, who are from a Central Village, St Catherine address, are among several “outers” (outsiders) who had taken up residence in the community in recent times.

According to one resident, the outers have carried several high-powered weapons into the area and the two gangs, which are separated geographically by a few metres, have been at odds for months.

Cameron, who did not speak about the gang war, said the police will be maintaining a presence in the community for some time.

Since the start of this year 35 people have been killed in the St Andrew South Police Division, which includes Olympic Gardens. This is nine per cent more than the number of people killed in the division for the same period last year.

St Andrew South is one of the police divisions where a state of emergency is in place.

Up to March 21 the island had recorded 306 murders, a two per cent increase over the same period last year.

Eight murders were recorded in the 24-hour period between Sunday morning and Monday morning to start this week. They include the triple murder on McKenley Crescent, one on Barnett Street in Montego Bay, two in White House, Westmoreland, one on Beeston Street in central Kingston, and one of a nine year-old in Flanker, St James.