Entertainer among two killed in Sav-la-Mar

TWO PERSONS, including a popular entertainer, were shot and killed yesterday morning, as heavily armed men, said to be members of rival gangs, traded bullets in sections of Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

Those killed have been identified as 41-year-old Akime Bradbury, otherwise called ‘Paparatzi’, an entertainer of Dunbar River; and 30-year-old Andreka Smith of Ricketts Street, both in Savanna-la-Mar.

According to police reports, shortly after 7:30 a.m., men armed with high-powered rifles invaded sections of Ricketts Streets and fired a barrage of gunshots in the community.

Bradbury, who was driving his Toyota motor car in the area, was confronted by the gunmen who fired on his vehicle.

The entertainer jumped from the vehicle and ran, but was chased by the heavily armed men who opened fire, killing him on the spot.

The gunmen continued to fire on several premises in the community, and while making a retreat from the area, they again opened fire in a yard, resulting in Smith being shot multiple times.

The gunmen made their escape from the area on foot. The police were summoned and both victims were taken to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Following t he incident, t he Savanna-la-Mar police carried out a series of operations in sections of Ricketts Street and Dallin Street, which led to the arrest of several men, some of whom are suspected to be involved in ongoing gang war in the area.

“We have strong reason to believe that the men behind these latest murders are members of the Dallin Street gang, and are believed to be involved in an ongoing warfare with rival gang members from the Ricketts Street community,” a senior officer in Westmoreland told The Sunday Gleaner, declining to be named as he was not authorised to comment on the incident.

“There are presently a number of operations taking place in these two communities as we speak, and I have been informed that a number of men, some of whom are identified to be major players in these gangs, have already been picked up.”

The officer added that the operation is expected to continue into today and those responsible for this latest incident should be in police custody in short order.

Since the start of the year, the parish of Westmoreland has seen an increase in murders, with a total of 99 persons killed so far, compared to 80 persons for the corresponding period last year.