Mark Titus, Freelance Writer"

WESTERN BUREAU

St. James' crime czar made good on his promise to target thugs when leader of the notorious Stone Crusher gang was cut down in a running gun battle with police yesterday afternoon.

Rohan Gordon, alias 'Don', had topped the St. James police most- wanted list after featuring prominently as kingpin of the gang which has left a trail of blood in the violence-plagued community of Norwood and other sections of the parish.

The Stone Crushergang is responsible for a wave of heinous murders which has swept the tourism capital Montego Bay and satellite communities over the past two years.

"What I can say, this means that we have taken out the most wanted man in the parish," said Superintendent Steve McGreggor, the commanding officer in charge of St. James.

But McGreggor was disappointed that the lawmen were unable to bring Gordon to justice.

"Unfortunately, we had to take him out in this manner. It was not our intention to do that, but when you engage my officers in that way, as I have always said, this is one of the eventualities."

Gordon, 26, had eluded several police dragnets for quite some time - the most recent when he ambushed a police party in the residential Bogue Village community about three months ago. It was reported that he was shot, but managed to shoot his way to freedom.

Residents told The Gleaner that Gordon was clad in a bullet-proof vest as he traded shots with the police yesterday.

"I believe more than 100 shots were fired. A police vehicle was also shot up in the process," a resident said.

Hendon, Glendevon and adjoining communities have been under siege by alleged members of the gang since the fatal shooting of Conroy Stennett, alias 'Winston Lewis' and 'Weed Eye', who was reportedly Gordon's henchman.

A number of rapes, robberies and murders have since been linked to gang.