Western Bureau:
Armed thugs shattered the fragile peace that had been holding in Montego Bay on Thursday night when they invaded premises in the Peace View community, near Albion, killing one man and injuring three other persons including a grandmother and her son.
The dead man, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and head, has been identified as 19-year-old Richard Williams, a resident of Peace View. The injured, some of whom were shot several times, are now patients at the Cornwall Regional Hospital where they were taken following the incident.
"All now me still a tremble," said a resident, when The Gleaner visited the area yesterday. "With all the problems going on in Montego Bay, this is the very first time that we have ever had anything like this in Peace View."
Reports are that about 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, the community was thrown into panic as a result of heavy gunfire and the sounds of people running and screaming. When the shooting subsided Williams and another man were found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Williams succumbed to his injuries.
.45 spent shells recovered
It was later discovered that the gunmen had entered the house of the 55-year-old grandmother and her 24-year-old son, shooting them both.
The police who were early on the scene, recovered several .45 spent shells. A police source told The Gleaner that the preliminary investigation was pointing to robbery as the motive as some of the victims of the shooting were relieved of cash and cellphones.
Less than two hours after the Peace View shooting, a man identified as 34-year-old George McGhie, of Retirement district, near Granville, was shot dead by unknown assailants. When the police arrived on the scene, McGhie was found in a pool of blood with a single bullet wound to the face.
And shortly after daybreak yesterday, residents of Rocky Road, in the Orange area, stumbled upon the body of 31-year-old Radcliff 'Spragga' Morris along a roadway in the community.
It was subsequently discovered that he had been shot several times.
Despite several policing initiatives last year, St James registered a record 186 murders. Since the start of 2008 there have been some 20 killings in the parish.
- A.F.
