Teenage girl found murdered on balcony

"If yuh nuh have a gun in dis place, yuh caah survive. Da community yah naah guh get better so people just have to protect dem life!" These are the words of a youngster who appears no older than 16 years old.

His violence-plagued community, Oliver Road in East Kingston, recorded yet another murder on Sunday night. The victim is a 19-year-old female, Rebecca Blackwood, who was found dead on the balcony to her house after suffering what appears to be gunshot wounds.

The teenager was reportedly attacked and shot about midnight, but her body was not discovered until early yesterday.

Residents said they all heard explosions close to midnight on Sunday but were fearful of venturing outdoors.

"Mi hear di shot dem, but a never nuff, and when shot a fire, yuh can't think fi come outside unless you prepare fi dead, too. It look like she dead same time because we nuh hear any form of movements, screams or anything. Is dis morning mi hear somebody a bawl out fi murder and when mi go look, mi see say a mi fren lay down dead," a woman told THE STAR.

Drive-by shooting

"Mi wah know how di man dem feel fi kill a woman star, mi wonder if dem nuh have any madda," the woman added.

Blackwood is one of four persons who was murdered on the weekend in the East Kingston Police Division. At least three other persons are left nursing gunshot wounds. Marvin Westcarth and Odaine Kerr were killed in a drive-by shooting at the entrance of Jarrett Lane last Saturday night. Three other persons were injured in that attack.

Yesterday, shortly after detectives processed the scene on Oliver Road, they were called to Pembroke Road where a 28-year-old man was shot and injured.

Commanding officer for the East Kingston police, Superintendent Tommilee Chambers, said the police will continue to maintain a strong presence in the affected area. She stated that Sunday night and yesterday's shootings may have been part of a long-standing feud between the Bass One gang and the Oliver Road gang.

The East Kingston Police Division has been experiencing an exponential rise in major crime this year. Murders are up 69 per cent as of July 10, while shootings are up 100 per cent over the same period.