West Kingston on edge

Residents in sections of west Kingston are now cowering in fear as they believe the shooting death of Nico 'Frassman' Francis in Tivoli Gardens on Sunday afternoon will spark an all-out war.

Francis, who was shot multiple times in the upper body during a drive-by incident, was one of two men killed in the Kingston Western Police Division yesterday.

In the other shooting, a man identified as Abothe 'Foota Lee' Pennycooke was also gunned down by unknown assailants along Orange Street.

Up to press time last night, police investigators said that were unable to piece the puzzles in either homicides.

When our news team visited Tivoli Gardens, several concerned residents say the incident could trigger a spate of reprisal shootings.

"Di place done no stay right already and then dis go happen right inna di new year. Is like peace and quiet cyah exist a Tivoli," a fearful resident claimed.

While the Tivoli residents were still processing the brazen midday shooting, persons in the nearby Denham Town community were also quaking with fear as they gathered for a funeral. Members of the security forces were kept on high alert as it was surmised that there could have been an attack on Chad Coleman's funeral.

Coleman was killed on October 19 along North Street in Denham Town, Kingston.

At one point there were more than a dozen security personnel manning the perimeter in a section of Denham Town, particularly Milk Lane, after residents alerted them to a group of unknown marching towards the area.

The men, however, retreated and made good on their escape.

A well-placed police source shared that following the death Coleman, who is an alleged violence producer, threats were sent between rival gunmen from warring communities within the division. A resident of Denham Town said she has also been hearing talks of an all-out war. She said that as a measure of her own safety, she has decided to close the doors of her business a little earlier than usual.

"Mi cyah mek myself get caught up inna no crossfire," the woman whispered while looking from side to side.

The Denham Town space has been the scene of a massive security operation for nearly five years, having been declared a zone of special operations in October 2017.