BRITISH LINKUP – BULLY REWIND

MARCH 24, 2008

Investigators are still trying to ascertain the motive behind the shooting death of a man and injuries to seven others at a British Link Up dance held at the popular La Roose nightclub in Portmore, St Catherine, yesterday morning. The dead man has been identified as 41-year-old Clifton Reid of Anthony Road, Kingston 5. Six persons, including a female, received gunshot wounds during the incident, while two others were injured in an ensuing stampede. The event attracted hundreds of patrons. Senior Superintendent of Police Calvin Benjamin said it was unclear what triggered the altercation. “It happened in the morning. Many persons have left the venue, some gone home, some at hospital. So it will take some time to interview the relevant persons to find out what caused the shooting,” said Benjamin.Sergeant Troy Anderson of the Constabulary Communication Network, the police information arm, said a gunfight erupted between patrons about 7:45 a.m. “During the mêlée, six persons, including Reid, were shot. He died on the spot,” said Anderson.

DECEMBER 2009

Ricardo ‘Bully’ Thomas, the man who made Jamaica’s top 10 most wanted list earlier this year, was slapped with a million-dollar fine and put on three years’ probation when he appeared in the High Court Division of the Gun Court yesterday. Police said Thomas, 37, was held on Charlemont Avenue, Barbican, St Andrew on October 18, 2008 with two 9 mm pistols along with 49 rounds of 9 mm ammunition. He was subsequently charged and later pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition.
According to the police, Thomas is the leader of a gang in Cockburn Pen, a tough community in Kingston 11 where ongoing warfare with a rival area gang has resulted in the murders of approximately 60 persons. Yesterday, sources said the police were extremely worried that Thomas had to go to court seven times after pleading guilty before being sentenced. The police are also worried that his release will spark a fresh round of violence in the war-torn community.

MAY 2009

The owners of La Roose have opted for a new image and name. Now known as the Live Wire Sports Bar and Grill, owner of the establishment, RicardoThomas, says, “We just thought it was time to move away from a certain image. A lot of things have happened in the past where the name became associated with some bad incidents, and we are trying to move away from that.” Thomas also said though the company had been registered as the Live Wire Sports Bar and Grill, they had changed the name to La Roose, but not that of the company. “So right now we are using the name that was originally registered,” he said. Live Wire, which is located on Port Henderson Road in Portmore, St Catherine, has hosted events like Black Scorpio’s 37th anniversary, Vybz Kartel’s Birthday Bash, Black and White Affair, British Link Up and, more recently, Fancy Thursdays. The owners say although they have revamped the name, they will not be excluding their previous target audience – a young crowd with a great love for dancehall music, and have even added a few events just for them. “Some of the things people can look out for is a theme night at Fancy Thursdays starting next week. Every week it will be a different theme with things like foam night, Hawaiian night, Lingerie Night, High-Roller night and that sort of thing. Another event we will also be launching is something called ‘MisMatch’, where people just come out in anything! Red dress with green shoes, yellow scarf and things like that. The worst, the better. The person with the ‘best’ mismatched outfit will win a prize,” said Thomas.

JULY 1, 2009

The identities of four persons shot and killed at Live Wire Enterprise, formerly La Roose, in Portmore St. Catherine on Wednesday night have been established. Police sources are indicating that all four have had brushes with the law. Among the dead are the owner of the Club and his brother. When our News team visited the Port Henderson Road based club in the aftermath of the shooting, the area was awash with blood, abandoned shoes other articles of clothing, telltale signs of the terror which had unfolded hours before. Senior investigators attached to the Area Five Police were busy combing for clues. Those killed are the club’s owner Ricardo Thomas, his brother Kirk Thomas, both of Charlemont Drive, Kingston 6; David Wisdom also known as Biggs of Lyndale Avenue, Kingston 20 and Andrew Walker, whose alias is Mampy Zeeks of August Town in Kingston 7. A fifth man was also seriously injured in the shooting. The police believe the incident may be linked to a shooting which occurred in Olympic Gardens last weekend. According to a source close to the investigation, eight men armed with M16 rifles entered the club in two vehicles, posing as policemen. They then approached the men who were sitting at the bar. The men are believed to have been working with three women who were already inside the club as the women are said to have embraced the men just before the shooting started. The men and the three women fled during the ensuing confusion. When the shooting subsided it was discovered that five persons had been shot, four fatally. During a subsequent search a nine millimetre Smith and Wesson pistol with 11 rounds of ammunition was found on the outside of the perimeter fencing. The Thomas brothers are said to have missed a flight out of the island on Wednesday. A year ago Ricardo Thomas was on the country’s most wanted list. He was nabbed by the police at a house in Barbican, St. Andrew on October 18 reportedly in possession of two nine millimetre pistols and 49 rounds of ammunition. Thomas was given three years probation and fined one million dollars in the Gun Court in December. He was also linked to an 18 month upsurge in violence in Cockburn Gardens in which 60 persons were killed. He was also wanted for the 2004 murder of Devonde Lawla on White Walk, Kingston 11. Mampy Zeeks is reputed to be an August Town area leader.