BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — Police here have vowed to maintain a strong presence in the Spring Park community following a series of incidents, with the latest on Friday night resulting in a double murder and injury of three people.

Head of the St Elizabeth police, Superintendent Dwight Daley said the incident stemmed from intra-gang conflict in the community.

“The intelligence [suggests] that it is an act of reprisal,” he said.

Marlon Gager, 38, shop operator and resident of Spring Park and Samantha Johnson, 34, a bartender and resident of Spanish Town, St Catherine, were shot dead. Three people were also shot and injured at a bar in Spring Park.

A police report said about 9:40 pm Gager and Johnson were among a group of people at the bar when they were pounced upon by gunmen travelling on foot who opened fire, hitting them. The police were alerted and they were taken to hospital where Gager was pronounced dead and Johnson died while receiving treatment. The other three people were admitted for treatment.

Superintendent Daley said the gang has been linked to major crimes including the April 13 double murder, rape and robbery incident in Malvern, St Elizabeth.

“We know it is a well-structured gang. They go around and break into business places but their main targets are poker boxes,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Sunday.

He said the gang has split into a deadly war.

“It is an intra-gang conflict…. The group is responsible for multiple cases of major crimes across St Elizabeth and in other parishes but now there is a breakaway,” he said.

He added that the police have maintained patrols in Spring Park.

“The community is large. When the shooting occurred we were in the community, but at another location. What I intend to do now is to put additional resources in the community to cover a wider area and prevent murders,” he said.

“We have the Community Safety and Security Branch which will also have a sustained presence in the community to reassure the people and offer counselling,” he added.

On Saturday Superintendent Daley and Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South Western Floyd Green did a walk-through of the community.

“We [were] there to reassure and counsel the victims to let them know that we are not going to leave them at the mercy of these criminals,” Daley said.