By John Myers Jnr., Staff Reporter
The charred remains of wood and zinc after fire destroyed six wooden houses on Penwood Road in Olympic Gardens, on Tuesday evening. - Norman Grindley /Staff Photographer
A NUMBER of residents have been fleeing the Penwood Road, Olympic Gardens,
area since Sunday from gang violence, triggered by the shooting death of two
men.
On Tuesday, six small wooden houses, the home of at least 15 people, went up in flames. The houses, at 25 1/2 Penwood Road, were completely burned out leaving only scraps of wood and zinc. The fire started about 5 p.m. The residents say two other houses had also been burnt out Sunday night.
According to one neighbour, who identified herself as Ms. Brooks, "we see like smoke was coming from over dere suh... and then we si like the smoke getting bigger." She said her daughter helped her to throw water on the fire, but it was too late. "But it look like dem set it from inside (the house), it look like an inside job," she said.
The families, whose houses were burnt out, had removed from the premises the night before, leaving only a small amount of their belongings.
So far six families have moved out of the area since the fires started, the residents say. When a Gleaner team visited the community yesterday, one resident was standing with her household items in her yard. The mother of five said that the tension in the community was causing her to move out, as she feared her house might be set ablaze too.
The woman, who withheld her name for safety reasons, said she was going to Manchester, but was being held up because she didn't have the money to pay a moving truck. Theresa, another resident of the community, lamented that, "we are in fear in the community, because right now I live over there and I am in fear."
The residents charge that the fires were a result of growing tension between rival gangs in the area. "We still dread, cause we hear people a talk seh dem a guh bun down more houses," one resident said.
Checks with the Olympic Gardens Police Station confirmed that since the shooting incident, tension has escalated in the area.
According to Inspector Kingsley Roberts, preliminary investigations into the matter suggest that the fires, believed to be set by arsonists, are linked to the double murder of the two men in the community last Sunday morning. He said the damage caused by the fires has been estimated at $250,000.
The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) reported on Sunday that two men
identified only as 'Ricky' and 'Wayne' both from Penwood Road in Olympic Gardens,
were shot and killed by a number of armed men.
The CCN said the incident occurred about 1:30 a.m. when the men entered the yard, where 'Ricky' and 'Wayne' were, and opened fire. A woman who was at the same location, was also shot and injured. The two men died on the spot, while the woman was taken to hospital.
Inspector Roberts said no one has been arrested for the killings, however, he says the police are following strong leads in the case.
