Jamaica: Four injured and hospitalized in gun attack at Rae town fishing village
The early morning peace at Rae Town Fishing Village in Kingston was disrupted by gunfire about 6:30 yesterday morning when three armed men reportedly entered the area, opened fire, and shot four people — three men and a woman.
The men, all fishermen, have been identified only as Mark, Patrick, and Harry, and the woman, a fish vendor, was identified as Carol. All four were admitted hospitalized.
Patrick's relative, who was with him on the scene, told the reporters that they had just returned from sea and were getting ready to unload their boats when they were attacked.
“All we a fisherman. We just come in from the sea and a haul up a boat. Me and him (Patrick) did deh-deh with some friends and we just hear bare shot start to fire and me start run fi my life. Patrick swim weh cause a the sea him jump ina. When me run gone me realize seh a the sea him gone ina,” the man recalled.
The man said he usually goes to sea in his underwear, and so, he had to rush to the hospital with his relative wearing almost nothing, saying there was no time to stop and get dressed.
“... Me couldn't go in the hospital like that so now me a wait pon him baby mother and my mother fi tell me a wah gwan,” he added.
Superintendent of Police Tommie Chambers, commanding officer for the Kingston Eastern Police Division, told reporters that investigations have revealed that the shooting was a reprisal.
“We had murder on Monday night and that was a reprisal for a murder that occurred on the 30th of April in Rae Town community. Now, this morning we have this shooting incident which is a reprisal of the young man that was killed on Monday,” Chambers said yesterday.
Meanwhile, one man recounted how he narrowly escaped the gun attack.
The man lamented the fact that though Rae Town has been a violent community, the fishing village has never been exposed to such violence for a long time.
“A more than 20 years nuh war nuh gwan yah suh. A here suh me deh how long. More than 20 years now me nuh hear nuh shot fire ina the fishing village. Yuh can sleep with yuh door open. Yuh nuh afi think pon nothing. Anybody can say that. This is a crime-free place.”
“A ZOSO (zone of special operations) is needed at John Street [across from the fishing village]. We are appealing to the head of the ZOSO. We feel unprotected,” he added.
Other residents, though tight-lipped, defended the innocence of the injured individuals and alleged that a family dispute fuelled the attack.
“All a dem deh a hospital now. A regular people weh we know and talk to every day. Di three-man dem a fisherman and the woman is a fish vendor. She come and buy fish then she guh town and sell dem. All a dem live here. The wickedest thing is that a people weh nuh involve in anything get injured,” one man said.
A fisherman, who gave his name as Kepach, told the Observer that the narrative that violence is in the fishing village is false and will only jeopardize the business.
“Nobody yah suh nah war. A just fisherman alone deh yah suh. Dem a guh seh war a gwan now fi people stop come buy fish, and time already hard right now. If people hear seh war a gwan dung yah, dem nah come a nuh seaside come to buy fish and dat a guh hamper we as a fisherman. Most people, a here dem come fi buy then guh back a road guh sell,” he said.
Paul, another fisher, had a similar view.
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