Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
Customers and employees of Maragh's Service Station in Hayes, Clarendon, wept openly as news of the proprietor's death spread. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
IT WAS an emotional scene yesterday at Maragh Service Station in Hayes, Clarendon, where gunmen struck Friday night and killed the 61-year-old proprietor, Frederick Maragh, during a robbery attempt.
One of Mr. Maragh's sons was also shot during the incident.
Yesterday staffers, relatives and customers sobbed openly, as they tried to come to grips with the tragic demise of one of the town's most prominent figures.
Family members declined to make any comment, but according to one staff member, the gunmen hid under the car ramp, in the garage, then attempted to enter the office just about when the gas pump attendants were changing shift.
SHOTS FIRED
"They were trying to brace the door with their shoulders, but the son stood behind. They fired a shot which hit the son in the hand. Mr. Maragh heard the shot and came out of his office, into the passageway. The gunmen fired a shot which struck him in the abdomen," said one employee.
The incident took place about a kilometre from the Hayes Police Station. According to police, the gas pump attendants were robbed at least twice, earlier this year. Mr. Maragh became the second service station owner to be killed over the past six months. Earlier this year, past president of the Jamaica Gasoline Retailers Association(JGRA), Lloyd G. Brown and a female friend were murdered at an apartment in Kingston.
Although surveillance cameras were posted in the area, persons with whom The Sunday Gleaner spoke yesterday said that they were unsure whether or not the cameras were turned on at the time of the incident.
JGRA president Trevor Heaven described Mr. Maragh's death as a tragic loss to the industry. "He supported the efforts of the JGRA. It is a sad and horrible loss. It drives home a message that we are all at risk at this time," said Mr. Heaven.
