The burnt out vehicle from which McDonald's charred remains were taken. - Shamir Brown photo
A man perished in a fiery accident along the Salt Marsh/Greenwood main road in Trelawny in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The dead man has been identified as Carvel McDonald, otherwise known as ‘Troy’, of a Jericho address in Hanover. Mr. McDonald died after the Toyota RunX motorcar he was driving collided with another vehicle just after 12 a.m., and then burst into flames. The driver of the other vehicle, sustained several fractured bones and was treated at hospital.
Carvel McDonald
The Fire Department in Falmouth related that they received the call about 12:05 a.m., and rushed to the scene. Upon arrival, they found McDonald’s car engulfed in flame and that of the other driver lying outside seemingly having been thrown from his vehicle. An operation quickly ensued and the situation was brought under control. It was then that McDonald’s charred remains were found. They had to do a roof flap extrication technique for the authorities to access the body following the blaze.
According to unconfirmed information McDonald, who was an employee of Chukka, was coming from a JAPEX function being held at his workplace on Tuesday when the accident occurred. S.B.
Murders continue unabated in the parish of St. James, despite a mass deployment of policemen and soldiers, with two men shot and killed on Thursday morning, and two others injured in a drive-by shooting in the volatile Paradise, Norwood community. A seven-year-old girl was also injured in the attack.
The dead men have been identified as 37-year-old Sanjay Beckford, aka ‘Punky’ of Norwood and 32-year-old Sheldon Bailey, otherwise called ‘Pressa’, a plumber of Providence, both in the parish.
Reports are that about 7:48 a.m., Beckford was taking his seven-year-old daughter to school, when upon reaching Hugga Square, a Toyota motorcar drove up and men alighted from the vehicle and opened gunfire hitting them.
Bailey and the injured man, known as ‘Uncle’, who were in the vicinity of the attack, were also hit.
Meanwhile, 24 hours before, 22-year-oldJerome Chung, unemployed of Bobman Hill, Lilliput in St. James, was shot and killed by unknown assailant(s) and another man shot and wounded.
The Barrett Town Police reportthat about 6:15 a.m., Chung and the other man were pounced upon by three unknown assailant/s, who opened fire hitting both men. Chung was hit in the abdomen and the other man in the ankle.
The Police were later summoned and both men were rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital, where Chung was pronounced dead and the other man admitted in stable condition.
The guns recovered through the joint Police/Military operation carried out in Flanker on Monday. Four M16 rifles, a Glock .45 pistol, along with over 87 assorted rounds of ammunition, were seized.
Michael Nattoo – Staff Reporter
Lawmen attached to the St. James police, as well as residents of the violence-prone community of Flanker, are breathing a sigh of relief – but cannot escape the undercurrent of fear – following the shocking find of military-grade weapons in a section of the West Central community. In the successfully executed joint Police/Military operation carried out on Monday, September 27, 2017, four high-powered M16 rifles, a Glock .45 pistol, and 87 assorted rounds of ammunition, were swept up by the security forces.
Reports reaching this newsroom are that between 4 a.m. and 2 p.m., swarms of security personnel attached to the JCF and the JDF, descended upon an area in Flanker known as Bronx or Red Dirt and seized control of a particular household.
The premises was then searched, following which the weapons and ammunition were found. And though, up to press time, no one has been charged in connection with the rare find, the police are being proactive, taking into custody twelve males and a female, who are reasonably suspected of having some connection to the extremely lethal weapons found.
The Western Mirror reached out to Deputy Superintendent of Police in charge of St. James, Gary McKenzie, who was involved in the operation, who revealed that the police“… have had some very challenging situations in the Flanker community, especially as far as gangs are concerned.” The high-ranking police officer further added that, “gang members are playing it out against each other, resulting in several incidences of shooting being reported.” As a result, the security forces felt it was best to act swiftly to curb the rising lawlessness, which resulted in the operation carried out on Monday. “We are really in the middle of the operation,” McKenzie explained, adding that the operation will continue until residents feel safe again. “We want to reassure the decent, law-abiding citizens of this community that we are not going to leave them. We will do all that we can to ensure that peace prevails in this particular area,” McKenzie concluded.
Over the past week, the Police have seized approximately 26 firearms across the island, and over 390 assorted rounds of ammunition. Added to those numbers are guns found in Flanker, along with their accompaniment of 63 bullets of the 5.56mm variety, the 4 bullets belonging to the .45 pistol, and the 311 bullets, coupled with a circular magazine, which has the capacity to hold up to 45 rounds.
The JCF wishes to remind residents that in order for them to maintain peace and ensure public safety, information has to be shared with them about wanted persons, illegal weapons and suspicious persons traversing their communities.
Detectives attached to the St. James police are probing the deaths of two men in separate incidents in the parish, as they desperately seek to get a handle on the increasing murder rate, even with the recent declaration of the Zone of Special Operations, ZOSO, in Mount Salem.
Dead are 31-year-old taxi operator, Bunneil Renardo McDonald of Crawford Street, Mt. Salem, and 25-year-old Kemar Trought of Quarry, Salt Spring, both in St. James.
McDonald was shot and killed on Monday evening in the troubled community of Norwood.
It is reported that about 7 p.m., McDonald journeyed to Norwood to attend a house party when he met his demise. The police say on arrival at the venue, McDonald exited his vehicle along the roadway and was in the process of locking it up, when he was attacked by men armed with high-powered guns, who shot him several times.
He was rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he died.
QUARRY INCIDENT
Kemar Trought
Meanwhile, Trought was shot and killed and another man shot and injured along the Salt Spring main road in the vicinity of the Quarry community on Saturday morning. The injured man is a 29-year-old removal man of Paradise, Norwood.
It is reported that about 11:25 a.m., Trought was in the process of assisting a family member to move furniture from a truck to a house, when he was pounced on by armed men who opened fire at him.
The truck driver, who was also assisting with the removal of the furniture, was also hit. Trought ran but collapsed a short distance away.
The police, who were quick on the scene, found Trought lying on the ground in a pool of blood with multiple gunshot wounds. The truck driver was shot in the leg.
Both men were rushed to hospital, where Trought was pronounced dead and the truck driver admitted in stable condition.
Submitted to: Youths Of the West – A Western Mirror publication
“The young lady I’ve committed to spending the rest of my life with cheated on me. What’s worse, she doesn’t know that I know, and I think I want to keep it that way” – P.A.
I’m not exactly sure whether this is the right medium for what I’m about to say, but given that I’m just 24 years old, this seems as good a place as any to get this off my chest. Now, I’m not exactly sure what I seek to get from this impending admission; perhaps I just need to lift this burden off my chest, or simply, at the risk of sounding like a narcissist, to be center stage for once in all of this.
I recently got engaged. Yes, I’m young, in some people’s eyes, but I know what I want… at least I’m convinced I do, and if it hadn’t been clear up to this point, I’m a male. My confession? The young lady I’ve committed to spending the rest of my life with cheated on me. What’s worse, she doesn’t know that I know, and I think I want to keep it that way. At this point, you may be thinking I should leave, but doing that is the least of my confusion at this point. The main reason why I sought to write this to YOW, is this: despite knowing that just after two weeks after we got engaged, she hooked up with an ex (I’ve got picture evidence to prove it), I still want to marry her, and in some strange way, even more than I wanted to initially. Perhaps foolishly, I still love her.
Before you judge me, please consider that I’ve known about and wrestled with knowing about her infidelity for a while, but I feel no differently towards her where it really matters. That’s love, right? Or maybe those are the ramblings of someone with low self-esteem or low self- worth, right? Either ways, I can’t say for sure why I feel the way I do, but I kid you not, she looks at me today with more love in her eyes than she ever did. And I can feel it too.
Honestly, it hurts like hell to know that perhaps I wasn’t enough for her, which caused her to step outside of the boundaries of our committed relationship, but mishaps do happen. She’s just 22, and perhaps, despite her love for me, she feels like there are things she still needs to figure out. Before now, we had been together for 8 years, and although we had our challenges there, there was never any doubt that we would end up staring the future in the face together. I’m just about done with college, and she has two years left, and already, I’ve secured a pretty decent job.
She hasn’t given me any hints of what happened, but her recent overflow of affection has indicated some sort of remorse. Or maybe I’m just choosing to believe that. But people make mistakes, and maybe I just want to feel like I’m not being naïve, but aren’t those things a given in love? When you’re young, and you’ve got a good thing, maybe the last thing you’re supposed to do is walk away from it. Of course, that’s all dependent upon what the issue is, but when you know what you have, work at it, and give your love a chance to prove it can withstand certain tests. It’s very likely that many of you won’t understand why I won’t confront her about this, even though I have hard evidence, but you have got to pick your battles. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know what I want it to be.
I want to grow old with this woman, and I want us to survive these trials together. This isn’t a case of infatuation, but love in every sense of the word. So if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, and I hope you don’t, think about what you have. And think about your life without it. If you feel right without them, go, but if you don’t, stand and fight.
I love you dearest, and that’s all that matters now. I forgive you, and we will survive this.
As I write this, we are getting ready to go out on a date, and she just swung by in her dress to randomly kiss me. And I’m supposed to give this all up right now? I can’t. Not yet.
YOW, know what’s important to you, and hold on to it.
WHAT A SPLASH! Darren Paul of Hopewell High gets a big facial splash while attempting to control a ball ahead of a Frome Technical High opponent, Kevin Ferguson, during their Zone ‘B’ clash at Kenilworth in the ISSA/FLOW da’Costa Cup game.
-Noelita Lawrence photo
Noelita Lawrence
Return round action in the ISSA/FLOW da’Costa Cup Schoolboy Football Competition gets underway later today with a solitary match in Zone ‘I’.
However, the race for vital points and ultimate qualification to the second round heats up tomorrow, Tuesday, September 26, with Western schools from Zones ‘B’ and ‘E’ listed for action.
Three teams in Zone ‘B’, headed by the early leaders and former many times champions Rusea’s, are down to continue their push for points and a place in the next round.
The ‘Russians’, following their bitter clash with Frome Technical and their ex-coach Aaron Lawrence, on Saturday, are down to engage sixth-positioned Cambridge in what should be a walkover for the 11-times champions.
Rusea’s stopped their opponents 2-0 in the first round clash and are aiming to complete the double while maintaining a clean sheet.
The showdown is set to unfold in Hanover.
Also in the zone, Knockalva and Hopewell yet to claim a victory, face-off at Knockalva with the home team expected to repeat their first round victory (1-0).
In the mid-table showdown, 2003 champions Frome Technical tackle Green Island, both needing points to stay in touch with the early leaders.
Green Island had surprised Frome 3-0 in their first round game and, despite hoping to repeat the win, will be mindful against an opponent that has improved significantly since the start of the season.
STETHS/MUNRO IN ACTION
Also on the day, St. Elizabeth Technical (STETHS), last year’s beaten finalists, are scheduled to meet Lacovia.
STETHS narrowly came away with a win in the first round clash, winning the contest 2-1 and with another tough game expected, they will be hoping for a more lethal approach in front of goal against their unpredictable opponents.
STETHS have been the most attacking team in the Zone, already with close to 20 goals and are also one of the top defensive teams in the competition, conceding just once so far.
STETHS’ bitter rivals, Munro College, who have found the going in patches to date and goals hard to come by, face rock bottom side Newell at home, hopeful of getting another win over their opponents.
Maggotty, aiming to exact revenge, are down to lock horns with B.B.Coke when the two mid-table occupants clash at the home of Maggotty, also on Tuesday.
B.B.Coke had registered an efficient 2-0 win over Maggotty when the two met in the early round.
The escalating crime problem in Westmoreland, where more than a hundred persons have been killed since the start of the year, and regular flare-ups of violence by feuding gangs in several communities, have the authorities there at their wits’ end, as no clear solution is in sight.
That’s coming from Hartley Perrin, Custos Rotulorum of Westmoreland, in response to last Sunday’s invasion of the volatile community of Russia by men armed with high-powered weapons, who fired indiscriminately in the area, resulting in one man being shot and wounded.
The man, who was wanted by the police, was subsequently taken into custody.
Custos Perrin says the communities of Russia, Dalling Street, Dexta, Seaton Crescent and Shaolin, are the areas where rivalling factions have been trading barbs in more recent months, leaving residents on edge.
“It is clear that we are at our wits’ end with respect of how we are going to deal with the crisis that confronts us. The police do not seem to have the answer – they say they need more resources, which may be true. The police would have to blanket the areas all the time, and that is not ever going to be possible,” explains Custos Perrin.
He indicated that the overabundance of ill-gotten cash was fueling the violent clashes among the factions over what he said were trivial matters, including who has more money to spend in wanton abandon.
“Much of the war has to do with the fact that some of the youngsters have too much money – that is ill-gotten wealth gained from scamming. They get the money and they try to outdo each other in spending and it causes conflicts. One may burn some money or buy certain cases of liquor and that results in shooting. It is surprising to know that men are killing each other over even a dumpling and some of these youngsters are related, but they do not seem to care about the fact that they are blood-related,” he explained.
PEACE MARCH
Sunday’s shooting prompted the Peace Management Initiative (PMI) to stage a peace march in Russia on Thursday, as one of several measures which the group said it would be implementing in 10 communities in Westmoreland, which have been plagued by violent clashes in recent months.
However, Custos Perrin, who was also a part of the peace march, says the social scientists must be meticulous in their assessment of the communities that they will be working in to get to the real root of the problem, as in many instances, they are missing the mark.
“We are misinterpreting what is happening in these communities – like a doctor, we look at the symptoms, draw the wrong diagnosis, and therefore apply the wrong treatment. This is where the social scientists and persons like those really need to go in and try to diagnose what are the real problems and see how best they can be resolved,” he said.
Lansford Salmon, Superintendent of Police in charge of Westmoreland, said from time to time, violence triggered by warring factions flare-up the affected communities, citing that on Sunday, the man who got shot was believed to have been shot by one of his cronies.
“What we are having is conflicts between warring gangs, which is on and off. Sunday’s act causes serious concern among the citizens, but we are dealing with it.”
It was high drama in Montego Bay yesterday morning (Tuesday, September 19) as a Traffic cop came in for high praise and commendation, after he chased, shot and injured an alleged thief along Strand Street.
The robber’s alleged crony was reportedly caught and beaten by civilians, who gave a hand to the ‘cowboy cop’, who relentlessly pursued the wrong doers.
The chase started along the busy and congested Howard Cooke Boulevard, before climaxing along another popularly used area, Strand Street.
‘RUN HIM DUNG’
According to an alleged eyewitness, the men carried out a robbery in the vicinity of the Howard Cooke Boulevard before attempting to flee the scene.
The Western Mirror was told that the policeman, who was carrying out traffic duties at the stoplight along Howard Cooke Boulevard in the vicinity of the LOJ Complex, realized what was taking place and gave chase.
It is reported that as the two alleged robbers ran through the Craft Market in a bid to elude the lone cop, he managed to corner one as he emerged on Strand Street and shot him.
His fellow robber was then nabbed by citizens who proceeded to beat him.
This news entity understands that the men had robbed someone who was on their way to the bank to make a lodgment. The money was reportedly recovered.
Ryan Whyte of Quarrie, who was stabbed to death in downtown MoBay last Friday. -Photo contributed by family member
A teenager is dead, another in the custody of the State, and a mother distraught, following a confrontation which turned violent in downtown Montego Bay on Friday afternoon, September 15.
Dead is 16-year-old Ryan Whyte of Quarrie, Salt Spring, in St. James.
The teen died at the Cornwall Regional Hospital on Friday night, hours after he was stabbed more than three times to his upper body.
Details of the event remain sketchy, but the Western Mirror was reliably informed that Ryan was killed allegedly because of a feud he had with another boy from another popular institution in the second city.
According to information received, Ryan, who started 11th grade at Green Pond High at the start of the new school year, was at a popular fast food restaurant in downtown MoBay when he got into a confrontation with another teen from another high school in the city.
The feud escalated across town onto the popular Union Street, where it is alleged that another teen (who does not attend school) intervened, during which a knife was brought into play and Ryan stabbed.
A close family member revealed that Ryan, who was taken at to the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) by the police, received stabbed wounds to the chest, neck, side and upper arm, and succumbed to his injuries some four-and-a-half hours later.
FAMILY IN SHOCK
The cousin told the Western Mirror that Ryan, who was the third of five children for his mother and the only one for his father, who is based overseas, had expressed a desire to become a soldier as he was one known for respect, order and discipline.
The cousin described Ryan as “very jovial, but a very shy person who loved and always wore a smile on his face and was such a delight to be around”.
“He loved his own circle, but always made an impression when he came in contact with anybody”, the cousin revealed.
Leonardo Hylton of Holland shields the ball from Herbert's Richard Thompson
Late-arriving Referee OJay Duhaney and his first assistant, Mary Lawrence, were at the centre of controversy which threatened to mar the much-hyped Zone ‘C’ ISSA/FLOW da’Costa Cup match between Holland High and Herbert Morrison Technical High at the Bogue-based institution on Tuesday.
Duhaney and his first lieutenant significantly changed the outcome of the contest in the final four minutes with some dubious decision-making, namely the non-calling of blatant penalties as the hosts ‘Compre’ rallied to earn a 1-1 draw with Holland.
At the blast of the final whistle, some heated players also had to be separated.
‘Compre’ ended the contest with nine players after Salona Birch, two bookable offences, and substitute Marc-Dayne Graham, seconds after coming onto the pitch, were given marching orders.
COMPETITIVE CLASH
At the blast of the opening whistle, Herbert Morrison made a quick start to the encounter and should have taken the lead with just two minutes on the clock, however, Deverow McKenzie failed to connect from inside the six-yard box.
The home team would create three other chances before the 10th minute mark, but again their attackers were wasteful.
While soaking up the early pressure, Holland, who failed to win against this opposition last season, started to settle and against the run of play, went ahead in the 14th minute through a well-taken strike from Michael Stephenson.
From a breakdown in midfield, Holland hit their hosts on the counter when Stephenson fired on the go, beating an unmoved David Gordon in goal for ‘Compre’ at the near post.
Both teams created good chances throughout but failed to make them count.
With time running out and Holland inching closer to a historic victory, ‘Compre’ were handed a lifeline through a penalty awarded for a handled ball.
The spot kick was converted calmly by Richard Thompson in the 86th minute.
The game then turned on its head with two handled balls inside the penalty area went uncalled by the officials who were right on spot.
In one of the two instances, the assistant raised the flag for the penalty call, however, the decision was overturned by the referee who waved play on.
Duhaney had to be shielded from angry spectators at the end of the game.
In other games involving western schools, William Knibb rallied to earn a share of the points in a 2-2 draw with Cedric Titus, while Spot Valley clipped Muschett 1-0.
