Crime-Ridden Day – Two major thoroughfares in the corporate area were cordoned off on September 8, 2020, by the police in two separate shooting incidents. Reports are that gunmen engaged police personnel in a shootout, which ended fatally within the vicinity of Hagley Park Road, while on Red Hills Road, a drive-by gun attack left four civilians injured.
Reports from the police are that at approximately 7:30 am an operation was being conducted in Payneland. Eye-witness accounts claim several explosions were heard, followed by a silver Nissan Ad wagon speeding through the area. Upon seeing the police, men from the vehicle opened fire and a shootout ensued. The suspects’ vehicle was pursued through Payneland onto Waltham Park Road, where it subsequently crashed into two other vehicles along Hagley Park Road.
The men alighted from the vehicle and once again fired at the police before fleeing. One man was later discovered with gunshot wounds however, the other men escaped. The injured man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. No member of the police team was injured.
The JCF’s Scene of Crime unit attended the scene, as well as members from the Hunts Bay’s Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB) and the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). A Taurus pistol with six (6) rounds was recovered from the scene. Investigations are underway to locate the other men involved.
The incident happened just a stone’s throw away from a ZOSO checkpoint and caused a major traffic pile-up on the major intersection of Hagley Park Road.
When CVM Live visited the family of the deceased, identified as 22-year-old Martin Anthony Brown, they dismissed the allegations.
Meanwhile, on Red Hills Road it’s reported that a drive-by shooting transpired where gunmen opened fire on a group of people, including well-known journalists, Mark Wignall, and three others.
It is speculated that the man who was being targeted escaped. According to Assistant Commissioner, Gary Griffiths, the incident is being linked to the ongoing gang conflict within the area.
ACP Griffiths says the police are working to apprehend criminals who continue to wreak havoc. Another drive-by shooting was reported about 8 am, at the entrance of the Ackee Walk community also in Kingston, where one man was shot and injured.
