Rayon Dyer, Gleaner Writer
BLACK RIVER, St. Elizabeth:
The St. Elizabeth police are reporting that 16 illegal firearms have been recovered in the parish since the start of the year. This represents a doubling of the number of illegal guns that were found during the corresponding period last year.
Speaking in an interview with The Gleaner on Monday, October 24, Commanding Officer for the St. Elizabeth Police Division, Fitzgerald Barrett, said that the type of guns recovered are primarily 9mm pistols and .38 revolvers. He said that suspects arrested in connection with these finds are still facing the courts.
"Two of the guns were recovered following a shoot-out between the police and gunmen. Two were recovered in Vineyard and one each in the Point and Park areas near Santa Cruz," Mr. Barrett said.
He explained that the action of the police played a critical role in the recovery of these guns. This he said was due to the lawmen's speedy response to calls from some of the communities in the parish which led them to the weapons.
The commanding officer also noted that some of these illegal firearms were found in hidden areas when the police went out on raids across the parish.
However, one of the cases involved the recovery of two .38 revolvers from a group of men in the Burnt Savannah area of St. Elizabeth, a case that happened by chance during regular patrols.
