A crowd outside premises at 59 Waltham Park Road watching a wrecker towing away a Toyota Corolla which three gunmen used in a robbery attempt at a nearby Western Union store yesterday.
THREE MEN who attempted to rob a Western Union outlet on Waltham Park Road in St. Andrew were cut down by the police in a hail of bullets yesterday.
One of the dead men is Richard Chin, otherwise called "Richie" of a Thirty Three Lane address. The police also seized two magazines and a .45 pistol along with 17 rounds of ammunition, Deputy Superintendent Wrenford Robinson, the Crime Officer for St. Andrew South, reported.
Police say after an unsuccessful attempt to rob a nearby businessplace of a $200,000 payroll, the gunmen turned their attention to the Western Union outlet. They drove their white Toyota Corolla motorcar onto the premises, unaware that two policemen were in the office conducting business.
Their suspicion aroused, the lawmen called for assistance. A patrol unit was sent to the area and on arrival, the policemen saw one of the robbers holding a security guard hostage. The police say during a shoot-out the three men were killed.
A pool of blood was observed on the ground near the entrance to the office. A large crowd gathered as news of the shootings spread. "This too real to be true. The policeman dem tek three minutes to kill them and about two minutes fi put dem body ina de jeep and carry dem way," said a woman who works nearby.
One of the firearms was seized by the police, but the lawmen say they were prevented from retrieving the other weapons by the large crowd which had converged on the scene.
Since January, at least 83 persons have been shot and killed by the police during violent confrontations.
Residents in the area told The Gleaner yesterday that there has been spate of robberies over the past four weeks. A butchery and betting shop were robbed last week.
