Fatal Shooting Incident Sparks Calls to Address Safety Concerns in Clapham, St Michael

“This block needs to go!”

That was the terrified cry from a resident of Forde’s Road, Clapham, St Michael, who described how she hit the floor and huddled in fear as gunshots rang out in her neighbourhood on Monday afternoon.

When the smoke had cleared, a young man, who later died, was lying on the ground near to her house, his body riddled with bullets.

“The avenue was quiet and then I just heard shots and I drop to the ground. I can’t even remember how many because I was scared,” she told the DAILY NATION.

Police recorded that murder as the 25th so far for the year. The young victim was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The woman, who did not want to be identified but said she had been living in the close-knit neighbourhood for all her life, denounced the deterioration of the area due to the “block”.

“Really and truly the police don’t take these blocks serious and a voice needs to be heard about it. I raise out here and the problem is yuh does be calling the police about disturbances – sometimes all after 9 and 10 o’clock in the night they playing loud music and disturbing the neighbourhood – and the police . . . don’t come. Now they are here because somebody get injured.”

She said while there were not a lot of shooting incidents, there was plenty violence, enough to be concerned.

“There is a track between the houses which they use as a walkway. It seems like he (victim) was trying to get away from the person. I was home and I could’ve been shot,” she said, adding that it appeared the shooters ran through a grassy area which was in the direction of a private school.

“It is soon vacation and there will have many little children running ‘bout out here and thing. If this was at the end of the week, an innocent person could have been shot. For years it has been causing a lot of havoc. This block needs to go,” she insisted.

As she looked on at the many police officers who were in the area carrying out investigations, she added: “To me, the police ain’t really doing nothing about the situation because you got the innocent people that live ’bout here.”

Inspector Wendley Carter of the Hastings/Worthing Police Station said they received a telephone call about gunplay in the area.

“About 13:30 hours police received a report of gunshots at First Avenue Forde’s Road, Clapham, St Michael. On arrival we were informed that a male in his late 20s was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with gunshot injuries. He was later pronounced dead and we are continuing investigations in the matter,” he said. Up to press time police had not released the name of the victim.