St Catherine community shaken after 5 shot in deadly attack

The Jamaica Constabulary Force yesterday indicated that it was following significant leads into Thursday night’s drive-by shooting in Portsmouth, St Catherine, which left one man dead and four others injured.

Dead is 20-year-old Rashad Smith, who succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Spanish Town Hospital. Four other men were also shot, three were treated and released, and another remains in critical condition.

According to police reports, about 9:16 p.m., five men were sitting under a tree along Arundel Road, Portsmouth, Waterford, when a white Toyota Axio drove up. Three gunmen alighted from the vehicle and opened fire before escaping.

The injured men have been identified as Oshane Richards, 32, of Hayling Court, Portsmouth, who was shot in the right thigh; Reynaldo Weetom, 34, otherwise called ‘Thread’, a fisherman of Eastney Way, Portsmouth, who was a shot in the left foot; 22-year-old Raheem Reid, otherwise called ‘Grim’, a labourer of Hotline Avenue, Caymanas Gardens, who was shot in the right foot; and Jesse James, 21, of Portsmouth, who sustained multiple wounds and remained in hospital in critical condition.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Christopher Phillips, who heads Area Five, said investigators are pursuing persons of interest.

“The investigation is progressing. We have some persons of interest, and at the appropriate time, we will name these individuals,” he told The Gleaner.

Yesterday, Phillips and his team visited the community, meeting relatives of the victims as well as residents and support groups. He said the discussions centred on revitalising the citizens’ association and neighbourhood watch programme.

PLEASED WITH COMMITMENT

“I am pleased with the level of commitment being expressed. The residents are keen on getting these initiatives in place,” Phillips said.

Relatives of Smith insisted that he was not the intended target, describing him as a hard-working young man caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“They mistake him for somebody else. We know who they came for, but they mix him up with that person who ran when the shooting started. It is sad because he had just got a job and was supposed to start working next week,” one family member said.

Police have theorised that the attack stemmed from an internal conflict.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for St Catherine South Eastern Dr Alfred Dawes, who also visited the community, described the incident as “extremely unfortunate”.

“This is the first time an incident of this nature has happened in Portsmouth for quite a while. In fact, this is only the second murder committed in South East St Catherine since the start of the year,” Dawes noted.

He said the incident highlights the need for stronger community organisation and additional security measures.

“We will be discussing with the police the placement of cameras as a deterrent. We want to send a message that persons cannot just come into this peaceful community and create havoc,” Dawes said.

ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com