A resident of the war-torn Torrington Park community leaves the area yesterday with her clothes in a basket. Gunmen have driven at least 20 families from the area in recent weeks. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

Life has ground to a halt in the once lively, but volatile community of Torrington Park, lower St. Andrew. Gripped by panic and fear, more than 20 families have already fled the area and, up to yesterday, the exodus continued.

Residents are being attacked and killed while traumatised children are unable to attend school.

At nights, the houses of those who have fled the area are broken into and appliances stolen by heavily-armed gunmen who invade the community, which sits on the outskirts of South St. Andrew, the constituency of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Omar Davies.

On Monday, 27-year-old Kirk James, alias 'Georgie', was murdered by gunmen in the community. Police reports are that his killers gained entry to his house by forcing open a board louvre window and shot him in the head.

Tuesday night another man was killed, but this time by members of the security forces. According to the police, a joint police/military patrol was challenged by three men with high-powered weapons. One of the men was killed during the shoot-out and an AK-47 rifle with 16 rounds of ammunition taken from him.

A group of women who spoke with a Gleaner news team yesterday, explained that they have had to run away in the nights and return in the mornings.

"Most mornings the shots begin firing at 2:00 a.m. One morning my five-year-old daughter woke up crying and trembling, then she asked me 'when are the shots going to stop firing'," said a woman from another corner of the community.

Reports are that two houses were recently fire-bombed and residents said they have not seen or heard from their political representatives.

"This is not a political war, it's an internal gang feud," said Superintendent Delroy Hewitt.

He told The Gleaner yesterday that additional resources have been brought into the division to address the problem. The officer emphasised that over the past six months his team had seized over a dozen illegal guns from the Torrington Park and Benbow Street gangs.

"The police alone cannot do it, we need the support of the residents," said Supt. Hewitt.

Since April 9, 2004, the constituency of South St. Andrew has been experiencing serious infighting. There have been several failed attempts to restore normality to the area. At least 27 persons have been slain in the troubled West Kingston Police Division since the start of the year.