WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Shots were fired in the community of Darliston in Westmoreland on Monday after residents had disagreements about the staged road blocks.

Early this morning, residents blocked the Withorn to Darliston thoroughfare, as they protested the poor road conditions.

OBSERVER ONLINE was on the scene when conflict erupted and stones, a power saw, and a machete came into play shortly after 4:00 pm. One resident who made a comment that another participating in the protest did not protest when the other Member of Parliament was in office was ganged.

Stones were subsequently brought into play sending residents scampering for cover. An off-duty police officer in the area fired two rounds in the air in an effort to quell the dispute.

The men said to be at the centre of the squabble were then taken to the Darliston police station.

Member of Parliament for eastern Westmoreland, Daniel Lawrence, made a statement shortly after the incident. Lawrence told OBSERVER ONLINE that there are bad roads and poor drainage across the constituency, hence the unrest.

“The residents are really frustrated, they have reached a breaking point where them just have to tek to the streets,” he argued.

While Lawrence stated that it is not his desire to see the residents protest, he believes they [irate residents] chose that avenue, as they think it will yield good results.

He assured the residents that the roads would be fixed, however some patching will have to take place in the meantime.

– Kimberley Peddie