The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FOX Hill MP Fred Mitchell said Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander warned him that his constituency could see “tit-for-tat” shootings after a man police said was a major player in a gang was murdered yesterday.

Mr Mitchell told his constituents in a WhatsApp message: “Good morning, the commissioner of police spoke with me this morning about a heightened state of alert in the Fox Hill area as a result of the murder of a fellow named Fox on Fleming Street.

 “The police are expecting a set of tit-for-tat shootings in the area, and they will be increasing patrols in the area over the next period. Please exercise the appropriate level of caution, particularly around the public spaces in the parks.”

 Michael Fox, Jr, 37, was killed in Bain Town around 7am.

 Chief Superintendent of Police Chrislyn Skippings told reporters police were told about gunshots from Fleming Street west of Hospital Lane.

 She said: “Preliminary information thus far reveal a male, a driver of a black Acura TLX, pulled up to a residence here on Fleming Street and immediately he was accosted by three masked males who exited a grey jeep. These males, all of whom were armed with high-powered weapons, opened fire on the victim, shooting him multiple times.”

 She said the deceased was well known to police and was associated with the Outlaws gang.

 “He was on bail for firearm possession, but I’m going to limit my comments, any other information surrounding him and just leave it to that. He was a prolific offender that was well known to us. We’ve had him in our custody a number of times. We’ve spoken to him.”

 The father of Fox, Jr, Michael Fox, Sr, said his son was paralysed eight years ago after he was shot while repairing a car on Ida Street.

 He said his son beat a gun charge years ago, but was picked up almost three years later and charged with the same offence.

 He said his son drove with the aid of an aluminium pipe because he could not walk.

 He denied his son’s involvement in criminal activity, saying: “How can a young man who you believe that you put all these things on and tell him that he’s committed these murders all over the place, cannot walk and murders upon murders you call him, you come and you lock him up and arrest him for all these things?”

 “Every week he’s arrested, and now you stating he’s well known by police, but yet his record is clean. He can travel. He goes up and down. They take him off the plane the other day and arrest him by taking him off a plane travelling to go for therapy in the US, and they take him off the plane.”

 Prescott Knowles was accused of attempting to murder Fox, Jr, on June 5, 2015.

 Mr Fox, Sr, said his son would never claim to be in a gang.

 “My son was strong, very strong in his attitude,” he said, adding that he liked to laugh and “crack jokes”.

 Mr Fox, Sr, said he runs a mentoring programme, and used his son to mentor youth.

 “They turn their heads, and they looked at him and they say ‘Mr Fox, if he could do it without legs, I should never be home laying down doing anything.‘”