AUGUST Town, which was up to last week celebrating a year without a murder in the once volatile St Andrew community, had the peace shattered on Sunday when a 25-year-old man was shot dead by gunmen.
The deceased was identified as Damion Lewis.
The constabulary’s Corporate Communication Unit said about 6:00 pm, Lewis, a resident of Love Lane, Kingston 14, was walking in the community with a friend when a man armed with a gun attacked him at the intersection of Bedward Crescent and July Road.
Lewis was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The August Town police have since launched an investigation into the matter.
Yesterday, an adamant Member of Parliament for St Andrew Eastern Fayval Williams told the Jamaica Observer that Sunday’s killing would not deter the community from maintaining the peace.
“The peace process continues over time, it will not be stopped by this at all,” Williams insisted. She said there will be a community church service this Sunday and a peace march in February.
Williams said that even though the residents are saddened by Sunday’s killing, nothing would prevent them from maintaining a peaceful community.
Last week, residents of August Town as well as stakeholders were beaming that the once volatile inner-city community did not contribute to the country’s murder toll in 2016, when the island recorded a total of 1,350 murders islandwide, a 15 per cent increase over 2015.
Police inspector Stephen Taylor, commanding officer for August Town Police Station, said that even though the deceased is not from the community the killing will somewhat damper the community’s initiative to maintain peace.
Taylor said residents were cooperating with the police to solve Sunday’s murder, despite speculations that the perpetrator is not from the community.
Wearing T-shirts marked “Zero murder for 2016”, several August Town residents yesterday marched from the murder scene to Bryce Hill Square and back, calling for peace in the community.
Taylor said a similar march was staged in 2015 following the killing of a bus driver. The killer was subsequently caught and the weapon used to commit the offence was found by the police.
Nuh know when did hear the zero crime mi did happy but mi did sad because the dirty germs would start come out with dem rubbish, mi never say it out loud but dem suck cocky bwoy nuh like see nuh good gwan. Mi stomach turn, I’m going pray bout this.
Sizzla ago buss him ass