Tension grips Denham Town after toddler’s killing

Three days after a three-year-old boy, Jace Pinkock, was gunned down inside his Nelson Street home, the usually vibrant lanes of Denham Town were unusually quiet on Sunday.

Zinc gates remained half-closed, men stood watchfully in doorways instead of gathering on corners, and fewer children played in the streets. Residents say the silence is not just mourning , it is tension.

"The place scanty bad. Usually pan a Sunday the streets full," said long-time resident Bennett, shaking his head. "You can feel the tension."

Last Saturday morning, gunmen stormed a house and opened fire, killing the toddler and injuring his father and eight-year-old brother.

Police have since launched investigations and named persons of interest, as authorities probe whether the attack is linked to internal conflicts within the community.

Police have linked the attack to what they describe as a resurgence of gang activity in the area.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Michael Phipps, who heads Area 4, said preliminary investigations suggest the shooting stems from ongoing conflicts within Denham Town.

Once known for frequent criminal activity, residents say Denham Town had been showing signs of improvement in recent months, with a noticeable decline in violent incidents.

"We did feel like things a get better. We just hope it stop right there and nuh continue," one man told THE STAR.

He questioned whether deeper issues are being addressed. "The younger youth dem a the problem. If dem can find some way fi control dem, we would be good."

For him, enforcement alone is not the answer "Dem youth yah need fi have a mind change. Create something weh mek dem look pan crime and say, 'No man, that wrong. Mi nuh go do that.'"

Another resident said some residents had grown despondent and no longer hopeful that peace would reign in the community.

"A nuff people here kinda give up, but we nah give up," the resident said. "We want the peace. If something happen yesterday, there must be something you can put in place so it nuh happen again."

The Kingston Western Police Division, in which Denham Town falls, had recorded four murders up to February 14. It represented a 33 per cent decline compared with the corresponding period last year.

A resident said that despite the best effort of the police, violent prevention is the community is complicated.

"Lawman nah go know when somebody set fi do something bad," he said. "

The real issue is that people nuh love one another again, whether family or friend," the resident said.

- A.L.