Soldier killed in hometown

On Sunday about 8 p.m., the community of Woodside in Clarendon was rocked to its core after a soldier, 26-year-old Allan Oswald, was shot and killed at his mother's shop.

Councillor for the area, Tanyalee Williams, said that the community is still in shock and everyone is puzzled as to why someone would do this.

She said for almost three decades, while surrounding communities have been experiencing crime and violence, Woodside had remained relatively calm until Sunday night.

"The community is tense. People are still frightened and shaken up because it is a peaceful community," she said.

Williams said Oswald came to visit his family for the weekend.

"The three young men who were shot yesterday (Sunday) were good citizens of the community. Allan was an outstanding young man and he motivated the other young people in the community. His mother is very sad about what happened because she said that she called him and asked him to come home because she had not seen him in such a long time, so he came home for the weekend. When I went there yesterday, the family was just crying," she said.

Reports from the police are at 8:10 p.m., Oswald and two other men, 37-year-old mechanic Christopher Burnall, and fellow mechanic, 35-year-old Dwayne Ferguson, were at a shop in the community when men drove up in a car and opened fire on them.

Oswald and the other men were taken to the hospital, where Oswald was pronounced dead; Burnall and Ferguson are undergoing treatment.

HANG OUT SPOT

Williams said the community is at a loss as the shop is a place where many of the men go to hang out after a day's work.

She said that many of the men are truck drivers and they would hang out there until late.

She said that the shootings that have been happening across the parish have been making people afraid and now more so in a community that was not known for any unscrupulous activities.

"The police cannot be everywhere at the same time but I am encouraging the citizens to look out for each other. Don't allow strange people to come in the communities," she said.

Williams told THE STAR that this incident would have a negative impact on the community because persons who operate their cookshops and vending areas are now afraid to stay out late.