BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com Friday, October 24, 2014
ROCKFORT residents yesterday rubbished a claim by the police that a fight for turf between criminal gangs was at the heart of Wednesday evening's murder of three men in the community.
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| Police patrol a street in Rockfort, east Kingston yesterday, a day after three men were shot dead by gunmen in the community. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON) |
According to the residents, the shooting of the men had its genesis in an extortion racket operated by gunmen whose ability to engage in criminal activities outside the east Kingston community has been stanched by police anti-crime measures.
"Police a seh a turf war; no turf war not taking place in here, extortion is at the heart of all of what is going on," said one woman, who requested anonymity.
"Police seh dem clamp down on extortion; nothing don't go so. It went away for a while, but it slowly returning," she added as she stood with a group of residents. "What is happening in this community is more than meets the eye."
On Wednesday evening, 32-year-old Loxley Brown of Harbour Road in Rockfort; 31-year-old Terrence Dixon, otherwise called Fidel, also from Harbour Road; and 23-year-old Aboyonei Stratchan, also known as Abba of Norman Terrace, were shot dead by gunmen at a bar in the community.
When the Jamaica Observer asked why the men were killed, the residents said the gunmen shot them to send a message that no one should resist their demands for cash.
They explained that the killings did not necessarily mean that the three men were approached for money, instead, the gunmen were sending a warning to the community. more
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