St James cops upping the ante in crime fight
ST JAMES, Jamaica — Rattled by two triple murders, taking place days apart, that have rocked the parish, the police and security forces will be more visible in some St James communities as of Thursday evening.
“A special operational initiative will commence, going forward with support from the military and other external agencies. We’re just going to be upping the ante as it relates to some road placing initiative patrols, vehicular check points,” Assistant Commissioner of Police for Area One, Clifford Chambers, told OBSERVER ONLINE.
He said that while the entire parish will benefit, special attention will be given to areas deemed highly volatile. These include the sites of two triple murders in Norwood and Rose Heights.
On Tuesday night, gunmen struck in the Matthews Lane community of Rose Heights leaving three dead men in their wake. The trio have since been identified as 22-year-old Jevauhn Dove, an airport worker; 20-year-old Kirk Taylor and Roman Warlock. They are all from Matthews Lane.
That incident came three days after 22-year-old Damion Minto, 24-year-old Lenroy Martin and Delano Spence all died after gunmen attacked the Warrica Drive community in Norwood.
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ACP Chambers said investigations have determined that both incidents were acts of reprisal.
The most recent incident in Rose Heights, he said, may be gang related.
‘It has a gang undertone, it’s in direct reprisal to an incident that previously happened,” said Chambers.
The shooting is believed to be linked to the murder of 26-year-old Michael Dillon, otherwise called ‘Alex’, of Buck Toe Lane in Salt Spring who was shot and killed in Mount Salem earlier in the day, about 10:20 am.
The incident in Norwood, Chambers added, involved a man who was on a mission to avenge his brother’s killing.
“The genesis of the one in Norwood was lottery scamming and they went after a person but instead killed the brother, who was in Westmoreland but came to St James; that was the 17-year-old. As a result of that, his brother went to [avenge] his killing and that brother himself got killed in the process along with two other persons from the location which they attacked,” he said.
The 17-year-old referenced by Chambers has been identified as Devonte Lindo who was killed in Cherry Gardens, Norwood on Friday night.
Since the start of the year the parish of St James has recorded 59 murders, the most in the police division.
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