Old Harbour murder connected to One Order gang war

The Old Capital has been left extremely tensed after three persons, one said to be a gunman, died following a series of shootings that started on Cumberland Road in the afternoon.

In the usually busy market district a man was attacked by armed thugs who alighted from a silver Subaru motor car and shot a man.

CCTV video footage seen by Old Harbour News showed when the Subaru stopped in the middle of the congested road. Three gunmen came out of the vehicle and began firing during which a man was observed running away from the gunmen before collapsing to the ground.

• Auto body repair specialist assassinated by three gunmen in Old Harbour

The gunmen then sped off but reportedly ran into a police team at a car wash at the intersection of French and William streets where one of the gunmen was killed, while the others manage to escape.

Moments later another man was reportedly killed by another group of heavily armed gunmen, this time in the Job Lane community – a few hundred metres from where the second killing occurred.

The spate of shootings in Spanish Town arises from an internal gang feud among members of the One Order Gang, branded as one of the most feared and organized syndicated criminal enterprise in Jamaica.

Based on preliminary investigation so far, the police have revealed that Saturday’s murder of 41-year-old Delano ‘Max’ Williams on Ascot Drive, Old Harbour is connected to the ongoing gang warfare emanating out of central St Catherine.

According to DSP Mark Harris, crime chief for the police sub-division of Old Harbour, Williams’ death is “gang-related”.

The senior cop said detectives from both the police divisions of St Catherine North and St Catherine South have confirmed that the vehicles used in both killings bore identical motor vehicle license plate data though the cars’ manufacturers are different.

Williams, who was at a bar at the time he was killed, was attacked by three armed men who alighted from a grey Toyota Probox.

DSP Harris listed the white license plate details as “4263 JK”, which would suggest that the disc was transferred to another vehicle after Williams was gunned down or the criminals have found a way to create a duplicate.

The police have not been able to get a hold of any of the vehicles used in both shootings, but continue to pursue several leads.

This will surely add to the complexities of ending a war on the brink of spiraling out of control. 

A 48-hour curfew has since been declared in the communities of Job Lane, Tawes Pen, 31 St John’s Road and Railway Lane, classified by the police as the epicenter of the current intra-gang warfare.

The police are hoping that by disclosing the license plate details, this will increase public awareness and may assist detectives in their investigation.

Meanwhile, the St Catherine High School, located at 35 St John’s Road, has advised that school will remain open a light of a curfew imposed.

In a notice this morning to stakeholders, Principal Marlon Campbell stated: “I think Spanish Town is relatively safe at this time, therefore all students writing examinations are expected to be in school.”