Rockfort carnage - Peace celebration ends in deadly gunfire at Pleasant Heights

What started as a joyful celebration in Pleasant Heights, Rockfort, east Kingston, on Monday turned into a chilling nightmare when a brazen daylight shooting claimed the lives of five residents and left two others wounded.

The streets, once alive with laughter, were silenced by gunfire, as a peaceful community gathering took a deadly turn.

Children were gleefully competing in a spelling bee competition on the community's football field, unaware of the horror about to unfold.

Just moments after local men finished a friendly game of football, which was part of the day's festivities, gunmen stormed the area, unleashing a barrage of bullets.

"A lot of people were there. When the incident happened, the little children were having their time because the men just finished playing ball and gone up there gone eat and drink," a visibly shaken resident shared.

Police reports indicate that between 7 and 8 p.m., a group of men was approached by assailants who opened gunfire. Among the deceased is Ortavia 'Mendez' Austin, a well-known figure in the community, who had recently returned to promote peace as the Christmas season is approaching. His son, Okero 'Kero' Austin, was also killed.

"As the bun eating fi start, we hear the shot dem and everybody a run, the pickney dem run and bawl," recalled one resident. "If you was here, you would want to hear the shout of the people dem after everything done. Everybody a shout because dem nuh see them pickney dem or know if them get hurt."

In the wake of the violence, the previously lively community fell eerily quiet. The event promoters, who were hosting their round robin when the incident happened, were seen counting their supplies that seemed almost untouched, rushing to leave the area.

"None a the kids them no gone a school because them traumatised," another resident lamented, emphasising the emotional toll on the community's youngest members.

The shooting took place not far from a kiddies pool that had been set up for the children, a stark reminder of how close they were to the chaos.

"A nuh down a the ball field the shooting gwaan, everything gwaan up deh so," one resident explained, pointing to the area where the men were shot, and where the children were playing moments earlier.

Police statistics indicate a slight decline in serious crimes in the Kingston Eastern Division, with 40 murders recorded in 2024 compared to 57 in the corresponding period last year. But for the residents of Rockfort, these numbers offer little solace amid the grief and fear that has constantly plagued their community.

"It's like them nuh want peace, and mi see massacre a gwaan different places, but I never expect it would happen here," one resident said.

Meanwhile, Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, who along with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and members of the Police High Command visited the community, said violent acts, such as the one at Pleasant Heights will not be tolerated. "The police have full authority to pursue those responsible," he stated.

Kingston Eastern commanding officer Superintendent Tommilee Chambers offered some hope, revealing that progress had been made in the investigation, confirming a fatal shooting and a firearm seizure related to the incident.

"We will continue to pursue the perpetrators, and no stone will be left unturned," Chambers declared. "This is not something we are accustomed to in the Kingston Eastern Division, and we will not sit back and allow this to continue."