23.04.2006 - fonte: THE JAMAICA GLEANER

FOUR SHOT AND INJURED IN SPANISH TOWN

Glenroy Sinclair and Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Reporters

Despite the promise of increased police patrol on the streets of Spanish Town, St. Catherine, and a mass prayer vigil recently by the church calling for divine intervention, there was another violent incident in the Old Capital yesterday, as four members of a family were shot and injured.

Among the injured are a 39-year-old mother, Rose Maureen Lawrence, and her two children, along with her 25-year-old cousin, Shelly-Ann Anderson, who returned to the island two months ago.

According to the police, the family of four were asleep in their one-room board house, on March Pen Road, an area known as Spanish Villa, when they were awakened by the blazing guns of a group of men, who shot them several times. The incident took place shortly after 5:30 a.m.

When the police arrived, they searched and removed eighteen 9-mm spent shells from the scene. "We will be putting in place a special deployment in the March Pen Road area," Deputy Superintendent Meveral Smith, told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday.

Apart from the shooting, residents in the community say they have become frustrated over the series of violent incidents. Some are now planning to move out of the community if the mayhem continues.

More than 50 persons have been murdered since January in the St. Catherine North Police Division, under which Spanish Town falls. During last month, at one stage there were 17 reported cases of murders within a 10-day period.

According to Detective Sergeant Paul Thomas, crime officer for Spanish Town, the police are pursuing several leads. Up to press time all the injured persons were still hospitalised at the Spanish Town Hospital.