Peace marches; crime rises

Michael Nattoo – Staff Reporter

The unfortunate murder of a dancer and a bus driver in separate incidents last Thursday highlights worrying trends for some increasingly troubled communities across the West.

Investigators called to the scene of a three-person stabbing incident in Negirl, Westmoreland, saw 26-year-old dancer Deandra Adamson, of Cuffie’s Pen, Lacovia, St. Elizabeth, succumbing to injuries she sustained after turning down the advance of a man in a night club.

Details reaching this newsroom are that Adamson was going about her business in the club when a male suspect approached her. The suspect reportedly made several advances toward Adamson, all of which she refused. It is further reported that the suspect started physically assaulting the woman, who then used a knife to stab the suspect to his right thigh.

Following that escalation, the suspect responded by stabbing the victim to her left breast and right forearm. At that point, according to reports, the owner of the club intervened in the conflict, and was also stabbed.

All three were rushed to Savanna-la-Mar General Hospital, where Adamson was pronounced dead, and the two men admitted in stable condition. Adamson’s suspected killer was under police guard while admitted.

SUMMER HILL SHOOTING

Earlier Thursday night, around 10:30 p.m., the usually quiet community of Summer Hill in rural St. James, was the scene of a crime which has left residents confused and unsettled.

Dead is 41-year-old, well-known bus driver, Hilroy Hamilton, who was found lying along a dirt track in the community suffering from gunshot wounds.

Residents reportedly heard explosions and summoned the police, and on their arrival, they observed Hilton lying along the dirt track. So far, no motive has been established for the killing, and residents are uncertain who may have wanted to harm the longtime bus driver.

MURDERS CONTINUE, DESPITE CALLS FOR PEACE

The reported murders come on the heels of several initiatives being rolled out across the West, which are all geared at maintaining and fostering peaceful communities. Despite these initiatives, crimes continue unabated, but the calls for peace have not waned.

Just last Tuesday, March 5, 2019, as part of their Peace Day celebrations, students of the Irwin Primary School added their voices to those cries for peace, and with the help of the Guidance Committee, staged a peace march.

Held under the theme, ‘Be The Peace’, a number of students from the rural area school participated in the march, which ran from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., and went from the school grounds to the Tucker Gas Station. Many of the students turned out with their personalized placards bearing messages for peace, and were undaunted by the morning sun. According to one representative from the Guidance Committee, “We see the importance of initiating this programme, as a number of our students are from the communities that have been adversely affected by the upsurge in crime and violence over the years.” The representative further highlighted that despite crime figures still being on the rise, their intentions are to get the students to play an active role in the maintaining the peace and stability that they still have, “given that the State of Emergency is no longer in effect in St. James.”