Barrington Flemming – Staff Reporter
- Two more killed
Despite a flood of Police personnel and soldiers as a result of ramped up security measures including a State of Emergency in St. James, Western Jamaica continues to bleed with the parish of Westmoreland showing an uptick in murders.
The authorities in Westmoreland continue to struggle to put a lid on murders with the parish recording 65 murders since the start of the year, compared with 58 for the corresponding period last year.
The parish of Trelawny is tethering on the edge of an increase, registering 10 murders so far this year, equaling the number for the same period last year.
Murder figures for the parish of Hanover show a reduction of nine when compared with same period last year, when 33 murders were committed.
The parish of St. James, which has been under a State of Public Emergency since January 18, showed a marked decline with 40 murders for the year so far, compared with 118 for the same period last year.
Meanwhile, in the latest cases of bloodshed in the West, two men lost their lives in brutal fashion on the weekend, in Trelawny and Hanover. Two other persons were wounded and a lone female was also taken into custody in connection with one of the two fatal incidents.
The deceased have been identified as 24-year-old Brian Williams, otherwise called ‘Willy Bounce’, of Thorpe Street, Falmouth in Trelawny and 25-year-old Raymond Whitelocke, otherwise called ‘Kalechie’, of Jerusalem Mountain, Westmoreland.
Both murders took place on Saturday. In the first incident, Williams was said to be standing near a phone store along Parade Street in Falmouth about 2:30 p.m., when he was confronted by a woman and a dispute developed between them.
The woman reportedly brandished a knife which she used to stab Williams in the chest. Williams reportedly tried to run from his attacker but fell at a nearby bar. He was later transported to the Falmouth Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The woman was later picked up by the Falmouth police and could be charged later this week.
Later that night, at about 9:25 p.m., Whitelocke was among a group of persons playing bingo at an establishment in Green Island, Hanover; when a man armed with a handgun allegedly opened gunfire at them.
The Police were summoned and on their arrival at the scene,Whitelocke and two other persons, who also received gunshot wounds, were taken to hospital where Whitelocke was pronounced dead. The other two persons were admitted in stable condition.