‘More boots on the ground’
Councillor calls for more security presence in Hayes after third murder
Councillor for the Hayes division in the Clarendon Municipal Corporation, Scean Barnswell, is calling for beefed-up security in the area following the murder of 32-year-old watchman Dwayne Burrell last Saturday.
Burrell was shot by unknown assailants, with two others being injured in the incident.
The Clarendon police reported that residents heard explosions about 7:45 p.m. and summoned them. On their arrival, Burrell was seen with gunshot wounds.
He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Barnswell, in expressing concern for the safety of the residents, said they are living in fear and it is understandable, as the most recent shooting took place about 7 p.m., while persons were still busy moving around on the street.
“The area was properly lit and it tells how brazen these criminals are, and as a result, we are asking that new security measures be put in place to ensure that more boots are on the ground,” he said.
Barnswell stressed that any new measures cannot be “regular policing operations”, as what is happening is not effective.
SUPPORT NEEDED
He called on the minister of national security to give whatever support is necessary to ensure that the residents of Hayes, and, by extension, Clarendon, are safe.
“Because what is happening now has reached alarming proportions, and we are now saying that we are afraid and we need some help in the Hayes area. We don’t want a repeat of 2019, where we had multiple shootings, and we know what can happen in the area. We have seen it, history is there to guide us,” he said.
No motive has been established for Burrell’s killing.