The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THREE men were shot dead in separate incidents within a 15-hour period over the weekend, becoming the country’s first homicides of the New Year.

Residents of Union Village, where the most recent murder took place around 12:45pm yesterday, lamented what they called the failure of police to adequately protect them.

They said the victim, identified as Deangelo Pinder aka “Cracker,” had received death threats during the New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade while attending the event with his cousin. Residents of the area said the victim’s cousin was stabbed while attending that parade and is still in hospital recovering.

The victim, they claimed, told police of the threats and was subsequently escorted to his car while leaving the parade.

Police did not confirm or deny these claims, citing a desire not to jeopardize their ongoing investigations.

However, they urged members of the public who may have information about any of the recent murder incidents to come forward.

“Sometime around 12:45pm, the police responded to reports of gunshots at Union Village,” said Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson.

“Responding officers, upon arrival, met the body of a male in a white Honda Accord. The information that we are working with at the moment is that persons in a jeep type of vehicle pulled through the corner, stopped in the area where the victim was seated in his vehicle.

“About three men came from this vehicle and discharged several shots. The victim attempted to drive off when he crashed into a fence. This investigation is very early at this stage and we are appealing to members of the public who would’ve witnessed this incident today to advise the police of any information that might be able to assist with this investigation.”

According to police reports, the first murder of the year occurred shortly before 10pm Saturday. The victim, identified by friends as Shawn Kemp aka “Papa”, was sitting in his Honda Accord at Deliverance Way off Malcolm Road when a man armed with a handgun fired several shots at him before fleeing on foot. The victim later died in hospital.

The Tribune understands Kemp is a 2008 graduate of Doris Johnson High School.

Police believe Lathario Sergrio Missick, also known as “Juvie”, can help with this investigation. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact police.

The country’s second homicide of the year took place at a nightclub on Madeira Street.

According to reports, shortly after 3am yesterday, a man was at a nightclub when he got into an argument with another man.

The first man left the club and returned about an half hour later with a friend, now the deceased, on a motorbike. The first man’s friend is said to have produced a handgun and discharged shots at the man who was involved in the earlier argument. The latter returned fire, hitting the deceased in his head, stomach and chest.

The man, who had returned with the deceased, was shot in the leg. The deceased was pronounced dead at the scene.

After the shooting, according to police, the suspect with another man got into a dark green Honda CRV occupied by four women and demanded that the women drive off. The woman driver sped off as instructed, hitting another Honda vehicle at 5th Terrace and Collins Avenue. The two men got out of the vehicle and fled into the McCullough Corner area.

Police took the manager of the nightclub into custody for operating in breach of the Business License Act.

While conducting investigations at the scene yesterday morning, police uncovered a handgun at the rear of the nightclub.

The country recorded 122 murders in 2014, according to The Tribune’s records, three more than the 119 murders police said they recorded in 2013.