MONTEGO BAY, St James – Monday’s execution-style double murder in Montego Bay’s People’s Arcade has left family and friends of victim Ricardo Green reeling. One of his colleagues told the Jamaica Observer that Green and his companion Vanessa Hopkins were found with their hands and feet bound by rope. They had both been shot.

Green was known for selling egg sandwiches from a handcart in Sam Sharpe Square to late-night revellers on their way to and from events. He was one of the vendors who used the arcade as a base. The popular commercial hub sells everything from food to clothes and household items. Green also lived there, occupying two rooms in an upstairs section of one building though the area is not zoned for residential use. Green was originally from Glendevon in St James. Hopkins, also a parish native, had been away for a while and just recently returned, according to onlookers who milled about the scene on Monday.

Among them was Green’s father, Howard, who spoke about the anguish his family is experiencing. His son’s mother, he said, has been particularly hard-hit by news of his death.

The patriarch said after receiving a call that his son had died, he went to the arcade where his worst fears were confirmed. For much of the day he fielded calls from acquaintances who were just as stunned as he was at the news, and were also looking for answers.

Howard Green had none. He has no idea, he said, what could have led to his son’s brutal slaying.

Their last conversation had revolved around plans to see each other soon.

The original plan was for them to meet on Sunday after Howard returned from a funeral. But when he called his son, Ricardo said he could not make it that evening but he would visit his father on Monday morning.

He was killed before he could keep his promise.

A woman who identified herself as the mother of one of Ricardo Green’s children said though they were no longer in a relationship they were still on good terms. The news of his death was hard for her to hear. Police on the scene denied her request to see his body, she said.

The People’s Arcade has, over the years, developed a reputation as a hotbed for criminal activity. Activist O Dave Allen, who for years has advocated that the facility’s ills be addressed, believes Monday’s murders could have been avoided if action had been taken earlier.

“I am deeply concerned about the tragedy at the People’s Arcade, where a man and a woman were shot and killed this morning. It is distressing to know that this happened despite your commitment to settle the residents there five months ago. The ongoing permissiveness, lawlessness and lack of order in the area have created an environment conducive to such residents,” he wrote in a letter to Transport Minister Audley Shaw.

“We need to address this issue urgently and focus on crime suppression,” he added.