KINGSTON, JAMAICA : Gangsters kill two in 'tit for tat' feud; two children injured.... 15-year-old boy in Tavares Gardens and a 10-month-old baby

BY TANESHA MUNDLE Observer staff reporter mundlet@jamaicaobserver.com  Thursday, July 06, 2017

A man is now in police custody following yesterday's brutal slaying of two men in an early morning gun attack, which also left two underaged boys and a dog with gunshot wounds.

Thirty-year-old cook Julio Daniels, and his 34-year-old brother-in-law Fabian Atkinson were shot dead by a group of men who stormed their home on Francis Lane in Rose Town, Kingston about 4:40 am after kicking in the door.

According to residents, Daniels was killed inside his cookshop and Atkinson was shot inside his room in front of his female companion while holding his baby in his arms.

A 14-year-old boy, who has since been hospitalised, was also shot in his hand and side while a 12-year-old boy received a gunshot wound on his finger.

The youngsters being injured follows a series of incidents in which children have been shot, including the killing of nine-year-old Kela Young in St James; the injuring of a 15-year-old boy in Tavares Gardens and a 10-month-old baby in Cockburn Gardens; the shooting death of 10-year-old Taysha Hughes; as well as the injuring of a 12-year-old boy on Fleet Street in Kingston, 10 days ago.

However, the police believe that the latest double murder is linked to an ongoing feud between members of the Raspberry and Rat Bat gangs.

This dog, seen shivering in the community
 yesterday, was injured in the early
 morning gun attack that claimed the
 lives of two men on Francis Lane
in Rose Town, Kingston. (Photo: Bryan Cummings) 

According to head of the police's Corporate Communications Unit, Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, the police believe the gunmen went in search of a man, believed to be a member of the Raspberry Gang. However, when they did not find him they fired shots on the two men who were present. She said the number of killings in West Kingston, St Andrew Central and St Andrew South police divisions have been attributed to feuding between members of both gangs, who are playing “tit for tat” as it relates to the murders.

Both gangs are reportedly fighting for control of the Sunlight Street, Trench Town, Maxfield Avenue, and Gem Road areas. more