A 48-hour curfew was declared in sections of the St Andrew South Police Division following a shooting incident on Crescent Road Friday morning which left two men dead and another nursing gunshot wounds in hospital.

By Friday evening, there was a heavy police and military presence on Crescent Road and nearby areas as the security forces carried out cordoning and search operations with the help of sniffer dogs.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Coleridge Minto of the St Andrew South operations branch issued an appeal to residents to come forward with information that could lead to a breakthrough into Friday’s double murder.

The boundaries of the curfew that was effected 6:00 pm on Friday are north along Waltham Park Road from Brotherton Avenue to Crescent Road, east along Crescent Road from Waltham Park Road to Spanish Town Road, south along Spanish Town Road from Crescent to Brotherton Avenue and west along Brotherton Avenue from Spanish Town Road to Waltham Park Road.

According to Minto, “Special emphasis will be placed in these communities, particularly Crescent Road, to cauterise the escalation of murders and shootings and violent crimes. The move is also designed to apprehend wanted people and to seize illegal weapons in this area.

“We will be carrying out joint police and military operational activities and we are appealing to the citizens to cooperate with the security forces and also to provide whatever information they have on the incident that took place where two persons would have lost their lives,” Minto said.

The deputy superintendent told the Jamaica Observer that Crescent Road came on the police’s radar over a week ago following a murder, and alluded that there has been ongoing gang conflict in the space then.

“We have had some increased presence since then. We continue to treat with gang conflict between several warring factions in and around this area. One of the persons who was murdered Friday, we were told that he is not from this space. There is a multi-agency approach being taken. Major Investigations Division is investigating this issue and we are talking to our counterparts in another neighbouring division and trying to put all the pieces together as we try and treat with this murder.”

Meanwhile, residents told the Sunday Observer they were happy with the increased police presence although their movement will be restricted.

“Mi rather the police dem deh yah more than the gunman,” one woman said.

Another woman said, “At least mi can sleep a my gate now or sleep wid mi door open. Me always rather the police dem than the gunmen”.

One man who was pleased to see the police dogs said, “I am glad the security forces mean business. See it deh, them send fi dog.”