Three Murders in Violent St James Weekend.

A Disturbing Return to Violence in St James

The recent period of decreased violence, which had offered a glimmer of hope to the law-abiding residents of St James, was shattered this past weekend with three murders in as many days – one on Friday, another on Saturday, and a third on Sunday, April 28, 2024.

Despite ongoing efforts by the security forces, delinquents persist in their resistance, perpetuating a state of lawlessness that has unfortunately become commonplace in the western parish.

“I am profoundly disheartened by the events over the weekend. It seems as though there is no end in sight to the chaos caused by these gangsters,” expressed a businessman who chose to remain anonymous when speaking to THE STAR. “The entire western region is in jeopardy. Observing the situation in Westmoreland and Hanover, one can grasp the severity of the escalating crisis.”

The sequence of criminal acts began on Friday at 5:40 p.m. when Jerome ‘Pampie’ Gooden, a resident of the volatile Salt Spring in Go-Piece Lane, was fatally shot in the upscale Coral Gardens community by armed individuals. The assailants approached Gooden in a white Toyota Axio and unleashed a barrage of bullets, resulting in his immediate death. The incident caused several hours of traffic jams along the main road.

On Saturday at 12:13 p.m., 39-year-old Randy McNeil of New Road in Flanker fell victim to unknown attackers while walking along the road. Although Flanker is recognized as a volatile community, it has experienced a period of relative calm in recent months.

The weekend culminated in another tragedy on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. in Mt Salem, where an unidentified man was ambushed and lethally shot by unknown assailants. Residents, who had not previously seen the man in the community, were shocked by the brutality of the attack, which resulted in a fatal head wound.