Glenroy Sinclair, Assignment Coordinator

Several hours after she was beaten up and warned not to report the matter to the police, her attacker returned and fired a single bullet into her forehead. Natasha Dobbs, 21 years old, who was standing beside her five-year-old daughter, died on the spot.

According to the police, she was killed shortly after 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, while talking with friends on Windward Road, near the Rockfort community in east Kingston.

Up to yesterday, police records showed that at least 503 persons have been murdered in Jamaica since the start of the year. Of that number, 52 were females. The records also showed that for the corresponding period last year, 53 women were killed and 61 the previous year.

Dobbs had an argument

Allegations are that Dobbs had an argument with a woman. Her killer later intervened and beat her up. Residents who spoke with The Gleaner yesterday claimed that she was warned not to report the incident to the police, or else she and her family would be wiped out.

"This is as a result of a domestic problem and I don't think it will escalate," said Angela Brown-Burke, People's National Party councillor for the Norman Gardens division.

Mrs. Burke told The Gleaner that the community was saddened by the death, which took place at a time when a lot of effort had been made to unite the citizens.

"It is a very tragic incident right now, I think we will have to focus on dispute resolution," said Mrs. Brown-Burke.

For most of last year, the Rockfort community was under siege by gunmen, who fire-bombed several houses. Several residents were murdered while several others fled the area.

glenroy.sinclair@gleanerjm.com