A reported ‘flood’ of money from overseas into the Rockfort community last week has sparked fresh fears that the ongoing gang feud is about to enter a new and even more violent phase.
According to sources in the community, former top gangsters from Rockfort, who managed to elude local police and make it to the United States, despite being wanted in connection with several major crimes, have sent money to buy guns and ammunition to continue the violent conflict.
The sources say the overseas dons are mainly financing the gangsters in the sections of the east Kingston community known as “Gully” and “Shanti”.
“One man a foreign, who link to the gang over Shanti, sent a big portion of money to the man dem over there to buy shot and them start send pure death threats. The man them over Gully call them link a foreign and him send on money fi dem so that them will have ammunition to defend them place,” added the source.
“I can’t tell you how much money come, but the way the man dem a talk is like that could pay school fee and buy book fi every pickney in Rockfort to go back to school,” added the source.
He noted that one of the victims of the recent flare-up had received money from an overseas link to buy an illegal gun and when that was taken from him, more money was sent to allow him to buy another.
“Is like them kill him friend and a threaten him, so him call the big man a foreign and get the money and buy a Glock (9mm pistol), but when the big man on the road hear him call him and disarm him because every gun supposed to be under one order.
“But him mek back a link and buy a next gun and the man dem call him out him yard in the early morning and kill him. A must man who him know mek him come out when dem call him,” the source said.
The guns were relatively silent in Rockfort last week, following a 48-hour curfew imposed by the police in the area bounded by Marl Road, Pleasant Height Road, Hillside Crescent, Oliver Road, Windward Road, and Doech Road, just over one week ago.
Since then there has been increased police and military presence in the community keeping the gangsters quiet, with occasional bursts of gunfire replacing the almost constant shooting that took place during the latest round of violence, which started with the killing of former community strongman, Christopher “Charlie Wapp” Thomas on June 21.
But residents say there have been several threats issued with warnings about who will be killed once the police and the members of the Jamaica Defence Force leave the community.
Threats have also been made against members of the police force by gangsters upset over the four guns seized and the arrests made by the cops in recent days.
Just over one week ago, head of the East Kingston Police Division Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay confirmed that the cops were under threat.
“It is a very violent community, they are heavily armed and the risk factor is very high. Right now the threat against the police is very high because they have no reservation about firing on the police,” Lindsay told the Jamaica Observer.
But she vowed that the police are determined to restore order to the community, which has seen several incidents of gang conflict in recent years.
“The Jamaica Constabulary Force will utilise all the resources that we have to ensure that this level of violence is contained,” said Lindsay.
Following the killing of Charlie Wapp, gang members in Rockfort lined up with those opposed to his killing on one side against those who believe he should have been killed.
It is believed that the members of the Shanti and Corner One gangs have joined forces to avenge Charlie Wapp’s killing, while members of between six and eight gangs are defending it.
At the peak of the violence there were reports of groups of 15 to 20 men, with high-powered weapons, roaming the streets with gunshots being fired in one instance from six in the evening, through the night, into the following morning