MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Police say communities just south of Mandeville remain tense due to a ripple effect of gun violence stemming from the murder of four-year-old Saniyah O’Brien last month and a reprisal double murder on the weekend.

Head of the Manchester police, Superintendent Carey Duncan, referenced the February 8 gun attack in Land Settlement near Royal Flat on Saniyah and her father as he implored residents in the neighbouring community of Heartease to maintain peace in their communities.

“A few weeks ago, we had the very unfortunate incident where a four-year-old child was senselessly killed and I say to you how much more innocent we can get than that. A child four years old, a victim of senseless gunfire in our space,” Duncan said on Monday following a walkthrough of Heartease.

He said criminals should not be allowed to infiltrate themselves in communities.

“These persons among you, ladies and gentlemen, they are not humans. They can’t be humans, if they can seek to point their guns in the direction of children and open fire, we can’t say that these are human beings,” he said.

“These are persons who certainly should not be living among us. They should not be living among us. They should be somewhere else. They should be incarcerated, but these persons are not humans in the way they perpetrate these acts, and we are seeing now that we are having a ripple effect from these things,” he added.

Police theorise that recent killings in Land Settlement could be linked to Jamaican criminals now based overseas. Superintendent Duncan reiterated his appeal to youngsters to shun the influence of overseas criminal players.

“We have persons within the parish who are now outside of this jurisdiction, sitting somewhere nicely overseas and believe that they can stay where they are and call some shots on the ground. I am saying, gentlemen, boys in our communities, it makes no sense that you get up and take up a gun, because somebody is going to buy you a motorcycle or somebody is going to ensure that your rum and Boom is on the counter tomorrow, so I am imploring you to be sensible,” he said.

“There are so many opportunities that are available to you as young men and women in these communities and we are asking you to look at the positives around you and gravitate towards them,” he added.

Police identified the men killed in the latest gun attack in Land Settlement as Damien Edwards, 21, otherwise called Damie, a resident of Melrose Gardens in Manchester, and Yakieni Shaw, 30, otherwise called Yankee, a farmer of Comfort, also in the parish.

According to the police, about 3:50 pm on Saturday, Shaw and Edwards were at a bar when a motorcar drove up and a man alighted. He immediately opened fire, hitting the two men multiple times. They were taken to hospital, where Shaw was pronounced dead, and Edwards died while being treated.

The area remains tense following the gun attack, with police increasing patrols in Land Settlement and surrounding communities.

READ: Police probe link between Land Settlement double murder and killing of 4-y-o

— Kasey Williams