Mayhem in west Kingston as gunmen attack community

Residents of Milk Lane in Denham Town, west Kingston, are counting their blessings after they were barricaded inside their homes for 30 minutes as thugs opened fire at them on Monday about 3 a.m.

The bullet holes in several concrete walls, zinc fences and a parked motor vehicle gave a chilling account of the trauma they experienced.

"People start bawl out 'Murder' and a mek baay noise. Fi bout 30 minutes dem stand up outside a fire shot. Dem all throw bottle bomb inside," said one concerned citizen.

"If a never fi the gates dem weh lock and di breeze weh a blow wi would a dead by now because di bottle bomb never work," another resident exclaimed. The residents also alleged that it was the second time within a 15-hour gap that they were attacked. They said that on Sunday, prior to the start of a funeral for Chad Coleman, who was killed on October 19 along North Street, gunmen entered the area and opened fire at a group of mourners. During that incident, a five-year-old narrowly escaped getting shot as persons reportedly scampered for safety.

"All a woman nearly bruk har leg because she ended up affi jump over one old fridge and lick up har foot pon di wall. She did have the baby wid har and as she a run fi cover di baby end up rub against the wall. The whole of her side scrape up," another resident said.

The police in the Kingston Western division were kept busy as there were also two murders committed on Sunday. In the first incident, Nico 'Frassman' Francis, of a Tivoli Gardens, west Kingston address, was shot in the upper body multiple times as his hair was being combed outside his residence. In the other shooting, Abothe 'Foota Lee' Pennycooke was shot and killed after he was pounced upon by unknown assailants along Orange Street.

In response, the police imposed a curfew across the division which started on Sunday at 6 p.m. and is scheduled to end on Wednesday, January 18, at the same time. The cops have also released the names of 18 men who have been listed as persons of interest. A vendor, who operates a cookshop, told THE STAR on Monday that she was fed up with the situation that has been crippling her business.

"Mi set fi lose thousands of dollars now because a wah day mi spend up a lot of money to buy goods. Any time things flare up, my business mash up because a evening hours to night time mi get my sale," she said.