Cambridge under siege ... three women killed in 72 hours

The community of Cambridge, in southern St James, is now under siege as gangsters have murdered three women in less than 72 hours.

In the first of the murders, which took place shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday night, the gangsters, who are said to be members of the notorious Ratty gang, which is led by one of Jamaica's most wanted men Ryan 'Ratty' Peterkin, invaded a house on Mother Lane and killed Ann-Marie Johnson, 44, and her 24-year-old daughter Shantoy McKenzie.

In the second incident, which happened shortly before 11 a.m. yesterday, Roxanne Daley, 17, a recent graduate of Cambridge High School, was shot dead as she walked along McLeod Road towards her mother's house.

In the incident on Saturday night, the resident said the mother and daughter had angered the gangsters by complaining about goats and chickens the gangsters had stolen from them and slaughtered to provide food at a party they recently kept in the area.

"Dem kill de woman and her daughter because dem talk bout dem chicken and goat wha dem thief," a resident said. "Yu se down a Mother Lane, a bad man run down deh. Every time police try fe go down deh, de man dem run dem out with gunshot."

A police source said that since October, the gangsters have shot up police vehicles on three separate occasions. He pointed to a bullet hole in a door of one of the service vehicles.

"De bwoy dem brazen and because we short staff, den have we like sitting ducks. Mass Ratty and him bwoys dem a destroy de community so de authorities need fe send in re-enforcement," a policeman said. "De other day, eight a dem with big gun back up four police and de squaddie dem haffe jump out of the vehicle and run fe dem life."

According to the residents, the gangsters, who operate between Cambridge and Retrieve, openly walk the streets with rifles.

They have even created an illegal 'toll' to extort money from motorists.

In the case of Daley, her mother, Francine Lyn, said she was unaware of her daughter being involved in any dispute with anyone and as a consequence, she is unaware of any reason why anyone would want to kill her.

"I am really surprised ... I don't know of her being in problems with anyone," said a bewildered Lyn. "I am totally in shock, I cannot even cry."

The killing of the Cambridge women brings to five the number of women murdered in St James in recent days.

Last week, Cleopatra 'Keisha' Fletcher, 41, a popular nail technician, and her 52-year-old customer, Dawnette Shettleworth, an employee at the Sangster International Airport, were murdered in Catherine Hall, Montego Bay.