Daneilla McLaughlin

October 18, 2023

 

Residents terrified, police patrolling heighten in Duanvale, Trelawny

Police patrolling has increased in the Duanvale community following the killing of four adults by gunmen last Monday night. This has been the first reported quadruple murder in the community.

Trelawny police as well as members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) are committed to protecting the citizens of Duanvale and preventing a repeat of last week’s killing. Two couples were shot and killed after gunmen entered the home shared by one couple at approximately 9:50pm. Four young children were present in the house, none were reported hurt.

An elderly woman expressed she has never seen anything like this in the community, stating that it is a great shock. “It really shake me,” she said.

Councillor for the Sherwood Division, Dunstan Harper described the killing as “unfortunate” and “a tragedy” and said it was strange for a situation like this to happen in the community. “[The tragedy] is foreign to us. It’s the first we’ve ever had a situation like this in our community and the people are a bit surprised and shocked and [are] questioning what could have been the cause of it,” he lamented.

However, he affirmed the authorities are investigating the matter. “Security forces are handling the situation,” Harper said.

Last Tuesday morning, police and JDF members patrolled the community. The police visited the Duanvale Primary school and the Duanvale Basic School and permitted school administrators to dismiss students earlier than the scheduled dismissal time. They ensured the children were home safely.

One resident said he didn’t feel safe staying on the road so he hurried home after work in the evening. “It’s like I have no vibe to go road. [I am] scared to sit at the shop like I always do,” he expressed. He also explained he is afraid to attend church. The church is located near the home where the four people were shot and killed.

Police returned Tuesday night and patrolled the community. One shop keeper said she was warned to lock her shop and go home, since she was the only one on the streets at the time. She said she is careful not to have the police give her a second warning.

In the community, the once vibrant streets were dormant and dull as early as 7:20pm on Tuesday night. The residents were seen rushing home. This has been a pattern since the incident, police patrolling and lonely streets.