4 shot in Sharpes gunplay

The debate about whether a mobile police unit should return to the community of Redemption Sharpes has begun, following a birthday cookout which almost turned deadly.{{more}}

A police report confirms that Orlando Browne, 26, Dominique Telesford, 21, Alson Williams, 23 and Oscar John, 25, all of Redemption Sharpes, received gunshot injuries to the left foot, back, right instep and back of the neck, respectively, when three masked men opened fire on them on Friday, July 24th.

The men were at a shop in the ‘Trigger Ridge’ area with more than a dozen other villagers in a celebratory mood when the shooting occurred at about 9:45pm.

Eyewitnesses say that the gunmen, dressed in “hoodies”, casually walked up to the crowd with the guns (one long and two short) in their hands.

They stood a few feet from the unsuspecting gathering and fired their weapons before fleeing through a nearby yard.

An inspection of the area the following day showed where the pot containing the half cooked ground provisions had overturned, along with pellet holes in the side of the wooden shop and the broken window of a dwelling house nearby.

As persons gathered at the scene, calls were made for the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) to resume patrols of the community, which has been plagued with a number of gun-related crimes over the years.

One irate villager, who wished not to be identified, claims to be fed up of the shootings, and called for the law officers to return.

“We need them here to protect us. It coulda been our children in the street. This is overbearing. Every minute you hearing gunshots up here.”

Another villager chimed in: “They (the gun men) need to be picked up because they mashing up we community.”

Although residents all agree that the incidence of gun violence and other types of crime is too high, some are against the setting up of a mobile police unit in the area, citing poor treatment and disrespect from officers as their reasons.

“They harass we and mek it hard for we to hustle,” one man said, explaining his opposition to the police presence.

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Keith Miller in a brief conversation with SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday indicated that police patrols in the area have not stopped, as mobile patrols continue in the area on a regular basis.

Investigations into last Friday’s incident are continuing. (JJ)