Waterhouse under fire - violence grips community

The barrage of gunshots which are fired every night for the past two weeks in the community of Waterhouse has left residents so concerned that they are now appealing to the culprits via social media to stop.

A resident posted a video on Facebook on the weekend, stating that she fears for her life and that of her relatives.

"It sad to know that the place where mi born and grow a run so. Mi can't believe say a so Waterhouse a run. Every night a bare gunshots and bare man a dead," the woman said in the video. "A night time mi hear gunshots and mi nuh know if a one of mi family dead."

Even with heavy police presence in the community, a man was shot in the leg yesterday morning.

"When we are here, they are shooting somewhere else and as we move, there is a shooting here," a policeman, who was posted up at the edge of Sandy Gully in the community explained when THE STAR visited yesterday.

He said that he has gathered that some of the culprits are coming across the gully from neighbouring communities like Riverton to carry out the acts.

BUSINESS AFFECTED

"You have people from the area too who are involved, but we suspect that some men are coming across the gully," the policeman from the St Andrew South Division said.

He said that since the shooting yesterday morning, a team from the Mobile Reserve is helping to police the area.

Business operators said the fear that has gripped the residents has affected their businesses.

"From morning a just $500 mi sell because nobody naah come out," a shop operator said. "Even though I am here, mi affi a look out of the two corners of mi eye."

Another resident, who spoke to THE STAR via telephone, said that she was at work and was afraid to go back home.

"You leave your house in the morning and you are just fearful to go back home," the resident said.

She said a number churches in the community held a peace march on Heroes Day (Monday), but the cry seemed to have fallen on deaf years as there was gunfire that night.

"Dem not even fear God. Saturday rain was falling, lightning and thunder and them still killing people in the middle day," the disgruntled resident said.