Residents of the Tivoli Gardens community in Kingston were literally under siege last week, as the security forces stormed the community in an effort to execute a warrant to arrest area leader Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke. For several days, some citizens were not able to leave their homes, as the security forces and criminal elements exchanged bullets in numerous bloody firefights. When the smoke finally cleared, one organization which sought to assist the residents by donating food, drink and water, was Political Ombudsman Herro Blair’s church – the Faith Cathedral Deliverance Centre.
Blair said that members of the church distributed over 2000 food packages to the residents of Tivoli and other areas in West Kingston, however some residents reportedly rebuffed the charity efforts, claiming that ‘chicken back’ was included in the food packages. Whilst chicken back is a popular food item for most Jamaicans (particularly poorer Jamaicans), it is a source of shame, and many persons refuse to publicly acknowledge that they consume this part of the chicken.
Blair has however dismissed the claims, stating that chicken back was not included in any of the food packages that were distributed by his church members.
A 16 year old youth was arrested last night in McCooks Pen, Spanish Town, St. Catherine, after he was searched and a 9mm pistol found in his possession. His identity is being withheld pending further investigations.
According to the police, at approximately 11:45 p.m., officers on patrol saw the teen acting suspiciously and accosted him. He was searched, and a Ruger 9mm pistol – serial number 31175078 – with a magazine containing six 9mm cartridges was taken from his waistband.
The Spanish Town CIB are investigating.
In the ongoing battle between the security forces and criminal elements in the Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town areas, the new civilian death toll has now been confirmed at 44. The new figure was confirmed by Political Ombudsman Bishop Herro Blair who visited the area along with the Public Defender, Earl Witter, yesterday. It follows an initial announcement yesterday afternoon of 26 confirmed dead.
Interestingly, Bishop Blair said that based on information that he has received, the security persons have been acting in a professional manner. This comes following calls and complaints from persons within the affected that the security forces were being abusive and overly aggressive.
Notably also, Mr. Witter expressed concern however of the low ratio of guns recovered to alleged gunmen who’ve been killed. So far, only 4 weapons (including an Ak-47 rifle) have reportedly been recovered.
26 civilians are confirmed dead, and 25 injured, in the ongoing battle between criminal elements in Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town and the nation’s security forces which began yesterday. The numbers were confirmed during a press conference which was held earlier today. The security forces have alleged that most of the bodies were recovered from areas close to barricades, building entrances and gullies running through Tivoli Gardens.
In addition to injuries and fatalities, 211 people including six women have been detained. Also announced at the press conference – the seizure of numerous firearms, ammunition, binoculars, army fatigues and ballistic vests. They say the operations which include building searches in Tivoli, will continue, and the public will be informed of the outcome.
As sections of Kingston continue to be in turmoil, with the nation’s security forces having numerous violent confrontations with gunmen supporting alleged Tivoli Gardens drug lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the police confirmed earlier today that two policemen had been killed during a shootout with gunmen on Mountain View Avenue in Kingston last night.
One of the policemen has been identified as Sergeant Wayne Henriques (picture at right) of the Motorised Patrol Division. Ironically, Henriques had been celebrating his 17th wedding anniversary with his wife and children, and was reportedly hesitant when he was called to work on what should have been his day-off.
Having spent the last 27 years policing mainly Kingston and St Andrew, and know that his love for the job and country was great, his family was not surprised that he reported to work as requested yesterday. Later that evening, he was among a police team that responded to a stranded female motorist along Mountain View Avenue. They reportedly came under heavy and sustained gunfire from gunmen who pinned them down for some time. Henriques and another policeman, Constable Jason Davis (also of the Motorised Division), were killed during the firefight. Six other policemen were injured.
Henriques is survived by his wife, mother, four children, five siblings and other relatives.
Based on the advice of Jamaica’s security forces, and in an effort to ensure public safety, Prime Minister Bruce Golding has declared a state of public emergency in Jamaica, which is limited to sections of Kingston and St. Andrew. The decision was made at an emergency cabinet meeting earlier, and became effective at 6:00 pm today.
A release from the Office of the Prime Minister said “The Cabinet took the decision to advise the Governor General to issue a Proclamation pursuant to Section 26 of the Constitution declaring that a state of public emergency exists in the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew.” The proclamation shall remain in force for a period of one month, unless extended by the House of Representatives or revoked earlier.
As the instability of the capital continues, with criminals seeking to prevent the arrest of alleged crime lord Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, there is growing unrest in the downtown Kingston area. Sporadic gunfire has been reported in sections of Downtown Kingston and in West Kingston, and several police stations in the area have been attacked by gunmen, with one police station in particular – the Hannah Town police – being burnt to the ground. It is reported that the police abandoned the Hannah Town station as part of a strategic move, and that after they left, thugs ransacked and looted it, and then set it ablaze.
A 43 year old female teacher appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court earlier this week, where she faced a charge of simple larceny. She is accused of stealing three pairs of dress pants from an ‘uptown’ store.
The court heard that on April 23, the teacher went to the store in the Kingston 8 area of Constant Spring, and reportedly took five pairs of trousers from the racks. She was being watched closely by a security guard who observed that she entered a changing remove, and later emerged with only two pairs of the pants which she then placed back on the racks.
She exited the store, and was accosted by the security guard who searched her handbag and found the three pairs of pants which were valued at US$131. The matter was reported to the police and she was arrested and charged.
The teacher has however denied the allegations, and claimed in court that she had purchased the items. She displayed a copy of a receipt to substantiate her claim. The matter heads to trial on July 29.
As crime continues – seemingly unabated – in Jamaica, the St. Andrew South Police Division are reporting that they are pulling out all the stops to rid the area of two criminal gangs that have rather unusual names; the RAT BAT and STINGER gangs. According to the police, these two gangs have had law abiding residents living in fear for several years, and all effort will be put in place to rid the area of these two animalistic groups.
A high school principal was shot and injured during a robbery attempt yesterday, but he managed to disarm one of his attackers.
According to reports, the principal was driving along the Palmetto Grove main road in St. Mary at approximately 12:15 p.m., when his vehicle was hit by a white Toyota Tercel motor car. He alighted from his vehicle, and was held up at gunpoint by one of the two occupants of the Tercel. The gunman demanded money, and when the demand was not met, a struggle ensued. The principal was shot during the struggle, however he managed to relieve the robber of his pistol before they escaped.
The gun was later handed over to the police, and the Principal assisted to the hospital. The Highgate Police are investigating.
There’s a new radio trivia game show called ‘One Minute Blitz’, that’s slated to hit radio airwaves on Friday May 28 at 8:00am on FAME FM.
In a game of speed and wits, ‘One Minute Blitz’ challenges contestants to answer ten questions in sixty seconds for the chance to win J$100,000.
“Think you can spare a minute to earn J$100,000?” To be eligible to play in the ‘hot seat’, listeners must answer the preliminary question aired each week on FAME FM as well as posted on facebook, by texting their answers to 444-4244 (Cost is $25 per text message. Open to all networks). One phone number with the correct answer is randomly selected, and the mobile owner is called to participate in the on-air show.
The lucky contestant will then be given a choice of three (3) categories each containing a set of ten (10) questions. Upon selection of a category, the contestant will then have one minute to answer all ten questions. Each correct answer is worth J$10,000 while each incorrect answer sees a loss of J$10,000.
When the minute is up, contestant winnings are determined by subtracting incorrect answers from correct answers e.g. If you answered four (4) questions correctly and two (2) questions incorrectly you would win J$20,000.
Created and launched by Software Architects Limited, ‘One Minute Blitz’ is open to all Jamaican citizens 18 years or older. Tune in to FAME FM for more information and the debut preliminary/qualifying question, and you can also log on facebook.com/1 Minute Blitz to join the group, participate in discussions, win prizes and more.
