ST JAMES, Jamaica — After a night of terror that saw residents cowering as gunshots rang out, seven houses and two vehicles damaged by fire, the police were on the ground in the community of Tucker, St James on Thursday to try bring calm to the area.

From as early as 9:00 pm Wednesday, lawmen told the Jamaica Observer, residents were forced to take cover as armed thugs fired indiscriminately on sections of the community. Firefighters who responded to calls that a house and car were on fire were forced to flee because of heavy gunfire. They later returned after a strong contingent of police arrived and order was restored. However, by then four houses had been totally ravaged in the blaze while three others had been partially damaged.

A Toyota Voxy was totally gutted in the inferno while a Nissan AD Wagon motor car was partially damaged. There were no reported deaths or injuries.

On Thursday morning, residents declined to comment on the flare-up of violence. There was a very visible police presence and lawmen have vowed to maintain order. Up to press time no arrests had been made.

According to a senior police officer, the attack is believed to be in retaliation for Tuesday’s murder of two men in the nearby community of Granville. Twenty-four-year-old Rexford Jarrett and 29-year-old Orange Reid were fatally shot about 2:30 pm in a section of that community called Gut Bottom. While rumours have run rampant that new life has been breathed into an old feud between Granville and Tucker, the police have a different theory.

“The incident is believed to be in retaliation to some murders that took place on Tuesday. The men were trailed from Tucker to Granville and shot there but it’s not like Granville and Tucker men are at war. It seems to be Tucker and Tucker,” the officer told the Jamaica Observer on Thursday. He asked not to be identified by name as he was not authorised to speak with the media on the issue.

“Because the police have had a presence in Tucker, the men trailed them to Granville and shoot them in Granville,” he added.

Councillor Michael Troupe (People’s National Party, Granville Division) is adamant that — though it has had its share of violence over the years — his division is not the problem this time.

“I’m vex because Granville has been cool. From last year no murder don’t commit in Granville proper itself. We have little problems in Pitfour Heights and we quiet it down. Now we have this that we hear it’s outsiders trail men and kill them,” he told the Observer.

His immediate focus, he said, will be to help quell the violence before it escalates. He plans to speak with Granville residents, especially the young men, to stress the importance of remaining focused on living in a safe and crime-free environment.

Up to Monday, the day before the shooting that is said to have sparked the latest brouhaha, the St James Police Division had numbers to be proud of: There had been an almost 50 per cent drop in murders, compared to the corresponding period last year. There were 40 in 2022 and 21 this year, a 47.5 per cent fall.

Thirteen people have been injured during 14 shootings in St James up to February 20 this year, compared to 14 people injured during 13 shootings in 2022.