Police to take action in Sharpes

“Gunshots always pelting off, but now they starting to hit,” lamented a concerned resident of Redemption Sharpes, as she described the situation in her community.{{more}}

The situation she is referring to is that of growing reports of gun violence erupting in the area, resulting in one death and three injuries… so far for the year.

The most recent occurred last Friday evening when 21- year-old Jamal Holder was shot in the neck.

Holder, a laborer by occupation, was walking to his home in ‘Trigger Ridge’ when he said he was attacked by two men who fired shots at him.

Just about 24 hours earlier, Brian Samuel, 18, sustained four bullet wounds to the head as he was walking on the public road in Sharpes.

At press time, both men were patients at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, and police were continuing their investigations into the shootings.

The Redemption Sharpes resident, who resides on the ‘rocks’, considers the events as disheartening.

“These days you afraid to leave your house because you don’t know what’s going to happen around the corner.”

“The police need to step up. We need a mobile unit up here like they did in Paul’s Lot,” she stressed.

Tales of daylight shoot outs and unreported shootings are ever increasing, with law abiding residents and police agreeing on one thing: drugs and gangs are to blame.

While a mobile unit is not an immediate option for the police, a senior member of the Criminal Investigations Unit (CID) indicated that plans are in place for action to be taken in the Central Kingstown area.

The police officer pointed out that although the cycle of violence seems to be spiraling out of control, and no suspects have yet been identified in the various crimes, a number of suspected gang members are being monitored.

In just over 12 months, three young men have met their deaths due to gun violence in the area, the most recent being Kimron McDowall who was gunned down in Hollywood in February.

Last December, Lloyd Samuel was gunned down while exiting his vehicle on his way home, while Lenford Smith succumbed to a gunshot wound to his side last May.

In January this year, baker Wendell Antrobus was shot in the head while standing outside his business place. He survived the attack.