Police have come under pressure in the death of the part-time watchman at Tacky High school, St Mary, after the same watchman, Hewitt Jarrett had been tied up two months earlier when a section of the school building had been set on fire, as an audit took place. Area residents have suggested that good policing might have meant the watchman would have been under surveillance since it was known he saw the face of one of his armed attackers who had asked for the combination to a safe. He did not have the combination. Two Sundays ago, he was shot twice and killed, about 8 in the morning as he arranged some chairs in a section of the school. On the scene of that shooting MP for West St Mary, JoylanSilvera sharply criticized policing in Gayle and the failure of police to bring to justice many of the killers in Gayle and other parts of St Mary. MrSilvera told The Times in a subsequent interview that it was shocking to know that there were at least 16 murders in Gayle area in less than 16 years and most had not been solved. He named several of the people he knew. The Times has highlighted all of these murders over the years. Maurice Mills went back to the files and chose several of them for this story. By Maurice Mills Gayle was up to recently a quiet community. It is located in western St Mary. From 2005 to now there have been 19 murders. Among those killed have been businessmen and a business woman, executives, a board chairman. Some of those killed have been shot in their homes, two while asleep; others have been attacked in their homes, others at their business place. Three of those killings involved people associated with Tacky High School. One was its board chairman, one was the watchman and another was a man with a shop outside the school gate. The gun has featured in most of the crimes. Three of the murders are before the courts. One man has been sentenced in one of the Gayle killings. . Gayle police have 52 districts under their supervision. Most of the murders have occurred along a particular strip in Farm Pen district, Gayle. GALLERY OF DEATH Here is the gallery of death: Owen Belvett, 59-year-old director of the North East Regional Health Authority(NERHA) was shot and killed onFriday night, August 23, 2007 at approximately 7 p.m. The murder occurred in the quiet district of Farm Pen where the NERHA director and former chairman of the Tacky High School lived.He was attacked outside his front verandah and shot twice as he returned home from work.No motive was established by the police, and after seven years, no one has been arrested and charged for Belvett’s death. Milton Lue: Luewas killed in a robbery attempt on Wednesday, January 16, 2013. Lue, 43-year-old of Breadnut Hill, near Ocho Rios was shot once in the head. His assistant, 41- year- old Envoy Williams of Lewis, St Ann was also wounded in the incident.The series of events occurred on a deserted, deplorable road leading from the rural community of Ramble to Gayle at about 12: 40 p.m. It is said that Lue and Williams were proceeding towards Wellington when they came upon a roadblock. It is said that while Luestarted to negotiate the obstacle a man jumped from nearby bushes onto the truck and signaled him to stop while another man stood in front of the truck. Two shots were fired at the occupants of the truck. It is alleged that the driver accelerated and at that time he was shot in the head by the man who had hopped onto the truck. The sudden jolt of the truck flung one of the alleged shooters to the ground that resulted in him being hit by the truck. Lue’sassistant who received gunshot wounds to his hand escaped in nearby bushes but was said to be chased by one of the attackers. He escaped and alerted a motorist to his encounter. He was taken to hospital where he was treated. Lue however died on the spot. A month after, two men were arrested and charged and have been before the courts since. The men are 23-year-old Jason Brown of Ramble and Horace Ward, 19-year-old of Wellington, both in St. Mary. They were slapped with charges of murder, shooting with intent, wounding with intent and illegal possession of firearm and ammunition. They have both acquired the services of attorneys. Norris Garvey:Garvey was brutally murdered inside his business place, a hardware store which he has been operating for several years in Gayle. One of his sons made the gruesome discovery about 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, after residents and relatives of the businessman became concerned when his whereabouts could not be ascertained. He was 70-years old. North Coast Times was told that after several calls to the businessman’s phone went unanswered his son was alerted. The son, The Times was told, also tried to reach his father but without success. Later in the evening, the son who works out of the area turned up at the business place and found his father’s lifeless body in a pool of blood in the hardware store, which is part of the building where he lived near the Gayle store. The North Coast Times was told that Mr Garvey had multiple chop wounds to the head and abdomen. Police said his stomach was carved open. His business place was also securely locked and there were no signs of forced entry. This has left residents to believe that he was murdered by someone he knew. Four months after the businessman’s demise, a number of persons were taken in for questioning, but no one has been charged for the murder. GARTH SIMPSON: Simpson, aka ‘Puss Eye’ was chopped to death on Friday, May 10, 2013 while he was asleep on a couch. The 38-year-old security guard was reportedly chopped to death about 4: 30 a.m. He was at the house of his mother-in-law, located in Cool Spring when the incident occurred. The police report stated that Simpson was chopped to death by a person who was known to him. It continued saying that Simpson was rushed to hospital and then airlifted to Kingston. He died while undergoing treatment. A man who turned himself into police was arrested and charged for Simpson’s murder and his matter is before the court. He is Kenroy Miller of Mile Gully in St Mary. Miller, a deportee is said to have had a grudge against Simpson. Harold Tracey: Tracey, a 79-year-old farmer and businessman was killed over six years ago on Friday, March 7, 2008 at approximately 10:20 p.m. The senior citizen was shot once in the head on his verandah as he slept on a couch. Mr. Tracey’s murderer has still notbeen found as police are unaware of the motive behind his killing and who his killers are. At the time of the incident, a police source told the North Coast Times that there were reports of someone having a grudge over land, leading to a dispute with Mr. Tracey. Police investigated that angle and discounted it. They have no leads. One man was taken into custody in relations to Tracey’s death, but was later released. Edgar Edwards: Edwards’ body was found, lying face down in a pool of blood, in his house, with a single gunshot wound to his back, on Thursday, October 16, 2008. It was theorized that he was killed on Wednesday night October 15 after he returned from a church crusade. It was also theorized that Edwards’ murder (s) awaited him inside the house and shot him on his arrival. Residents of the Farm Pen community discovered that the burglar bar around one of the windows at the back of the house had been dug out and four of the louvre blades were missing. The house was also ransacked. Edwards was a licensed firearm holder and his Smith & Wesson revolver was not found by police. A resident who spoke to The Times six years ago revealed that Edwards told him that he reportedly got a call telling him that gunmen were in his yard. The resident told him to be careful. Police investigations continue into the murder. Lily Burton Anderson and Winston Brown¬- Mrs Burton Anderson¬ and Brown were killed on Wednesday evening, November 28, 2012 at about 9:00 p.m. This double murder occurred in the community of Farm Pen near Gayle town. The two neighbours were killed in what residents considered a robbery. Burton-Anderson, along with Brown and her husband had just returned from their business place located in Woodpark, an adjoining community. On entering her house, Mrs Anderson was held at gunpoint by two robbers who had made their way in earlier by breaking in a window at the rear of the house. It was reported that she screamed on seeing the robbers and when her husband heard, he ran inside the house. He was held at gunpoint. The screams also alerted Brown and it was reported that he took up his machete and ran to the rescue of his neighbours. Brown was shot in the chest. The robbers then turned their attention to Anderson’s husband. It was reported that they attempted to shoot him but the gun failed. At that time, Burton-Anderson ran outside and was shot also in the chest. The robbers then made good their escape in nearby bushes with an undetermined sum of money. No arrest has been made in this murder incident. Fabian Smikle: Eighteen-year-old Fabian Smikle, labourer of Saltrum District was stabbed to death on Friday evening, November 27, 2009. Smikle was playing the role of peacemaker in a row between two men over $20 when he was stabbed below his left breast. His attacker, Valin Marsh later turned himself into the police after being coerced by family and friends. The matter was ventilated in court and Marsh sentenced. Hewitt Jarrett: Jarrett, the watchman who was on duty on May 5,2014 when the Tacky High School administrative building was razed by armed robbers, was shot and kill just over three months later on Sunday, July 13 while he was on the job. Reports are that Jarrett was at the school getting some chairs prepared for an event when he was attacked and shot twice; once in the head and also the chest. Jarrett died on the spot. The midmorning shooting sparked major outcry from the residents who insisted that that enough was enough. The murder of Jarrett, who was also a butcher is said to have been directly linked to the fire incident at the school. No arrests have been made into Jarrett’s killing, and residents are urged to provide the police with information. Leon Harrison: Harrison, a probation officer was 54-years old at the time of his death. He was shot and killed by unknown assailants as he returned home from work on Wednesday evening, December 8, 2010. Mr Harrison, a trained teacher was a well known probation officer at the Probation office in Port Maria. His death left people in shock as the motive was not determined. Harrison was shot as he got home about 8 o’clock and no attempt was made to rob him or to steal the vehicle he was driving , a Toyota Hiace mini bus. Two shots were fired through the windscreen into the vehicle before he exited and police say he was also shot when he came out of the vehicle, parked about 6 feet from his house and started to run. Reports are that he died with adult diapers in his hand. He had brought home the diapers for his elderly mother who lived with the family at the house in Hunt’s Town. No arrests have been made in this case. Lawrence Housen: Housen, also know as ‘Fatta’ was shot and killed on Friday, September 10, 2010 at about 7:30 a.m. outside the Tacky High School gate where he operated a business. The 38-year-old shopkeeper of Saltrum in Gayle, according to police, was at his shop when a Toyota Corolla drove up and two of its occupants alighted from the vehicle. An argument between the two occupants of the Corolla and Housen resulted in Housen being shot.Students from the Tacky High School were traumatized by the incident which occurred during their devotional exercise. No arrests have been made into Housen’s demise.
