Two killed at gambling shop

At least two persons were killed on Wednesday night at a gambling shop in River Heights, Tavern, St Andrew, as gunmen sprayed the area with bullets.

The deceased have been identified as 52-year-old Lewis 'Basil' McDonald and Javid Wint.

According to the police's Corporate Communications Unit (CCU), about 9 p.m., six persons were at the gambling shop when gunmen fired at the group. Both McDonald and Wint were pronounced dead, while the others had to be hospitalised. The Half-Way Tree police are investigating.

When THE WEEKEND STAR visited the Kingston 6 community yesterday, a police service vehicle was seen patrolling the area.

McDonald's sister was still in a daze as she spoke about her brother.

"Basil was a good man and was a mason for everyone. He didn't deserve to die like this. Is not even like him was a long time bad man or anything. Him was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," she said.

The woman said that she spoke with her brother approximately 10 minutes before his demise.

"Mi deh here a cook, and him come and ask mi if a mi leave the kitchen window open, and mi tell him yes because the place hot and him say him a go hold a bathe. When mi hear the bag a shots dem, mi never know say one a dem a kill mi bredda because me don't know when him leave the yard," she said.

She added that Basil was supposed to begin working on a new construction project with their cousin who was also injured in the attack.

"All my cousin at the hospital now. Dem shoot him up for nothing. All he did was go by the gambling house to tell Basil that him and him a go pon a work today (yesterday). Basil just pick up a bullet in his neck and dead on the spot," she said.

The news team also spoke with several other residents who are speculating that Wednesday's shooting may have been a reprisal for a man who was recently killed in Kintyre, a community just a short distance away from where the incident took place.