Entertainer gunned down in St James

Six persons have been killed over the past six days in St James, the latest happening yesterday in Mount Pellier, where a recording artiste was shot dead and another man shot and injured.

So far the deceased has only been identified by the stage name 'Kapella Don'. Reports are that about 5 p.m., the entertainer and other persons were ambushed and shot by armed men. The police were summoned and upon arrival, both injured were rushed to hospital where Kapella Don was pronounced dead and the other man admitted in serious condition.

Prior to yesterday's shooting, 26-year-old Shavon Green of Unity Crescent and Farm Height, was shot and killed about 3 p.m. in his community, on Wednesday. Two other men, 24-year-old Nakeem Erskine, otherwise called 'Buzz Man' of Retirement in Granville, and 23-year-old Mohan Morris, otherwise called 'Rick' of Lime Tree Lane in Flankers, were also shot and killed by gunmen in separate incidents on Tuesday.

St James has recorded 18 murders in 19 days. Assistant Commissioner of Police for Area One, Clifford Chambers, said that lawmen there will be getting assistance from members of the Specialised Operations Branch in Kingston over the next few days.

"The police in the parish are sometimes faced with serious challenges because we are now seeing a different pattern in murders where members of the same gangs are turning against each other, and also we are seeing where scammers are caught up in friction gone bad and family members are then targeted," he said. But Lloyd B Smith, former member of parliament for West Central St James, said that the police in St James need better tactics.

"The police need to be ahead of the criminals instead of playing catch up, and they need to go back to the days of gathering more intelligence as a tool to fight crime," he said.

- H.B.