19-year-old charged with Kidd Lane triple murder

A 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged with three counts of murder in connection with last Friday’s deadly gun and arson attack on Kidd Lane, off Spanish Town Road in St Andrew, which claimed the lives of two women and a one-year-old boy.

The accused, Dante Davis, who has addresses on Spanish Town Road and Kidd Lane in Kingston 13, is facing seven additional charges arising from the October 9 attack.

These include conspiracy to commit murder, arson, conspiracy to commit arson, possession of a prohibited weapon, unauthorised possession of ammunition and using a firearm to commit a felony.

The police announced the charges on Thursday, crediting detectives from the Homicide Investigation Division and the St Andrew South Criminal Investigations Branch with the swift action that led to Davis’ arrest and charging.

The victims are 30-year-old Lashane Ellis; her one-year-old son, Kaheel Daley; and their 39-year-old neighbour, Kimeisha Gibson, all of Kidd Lane.

The killings sparked widespread outrage and fear in the community, with relatives recounting the desperate efforts to save their loved ones as gunmen opened fire and set a house ablaze.

Ellis and her infant son were killed when armed men attacked their home and set it on fire. Before fleeing, the gunmen reportedly opened fire on a neighbouring house, killing Gibson.

Several persons have since packed up their belongings and moved out of the community.

The police had previously named 11 men as persons of interest in the killings and related gang violence in Kidd Lane and nearby Bowens Road.

Four of the men subsequently surrendered and were taken into custody for questioning.

Among those detained was 37-year-old Lance Brown, otherwise called ‘Stoneface’, who has since been charged in connection with the August 23 murder of 19-year-old Ricardo Morgan in Kidd Lane. Brown is also among the 11 persons of interest named in the triple-murder investigation.

The other men reported to be in custody in connection with the October 9 attack are Roshane Paisley, otherwise called ‘Gurr’, and Andre McBean, known as ‘Pinchers’, along with Davis, who police identified as the prime suspect before announcing the charges.

Investigators have said the deadly attack arose from a dispute between Davis and a relative of one of the women killed over the use of water.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Damion Manderson, the commanding officer for the St Andrew South Division, said the police have been maintaining a strong presence in Kidd Lane and surrounding communities.

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