TEEN SHOTTAS PLAGUE DOWNTOWN

Residents say children behind serious crimes

DUSING CHILDREN TO COMMIT MURDER

A resident of Mark Lane told THE WEEKEND STAR that though using children to commit murder was nothing new, there have been an increase in the practice.

“Dat a nothing new, but it come in like a di trend nowadays. A normally the youth dem weh a bad from early and nuh really under nuh control like have parents, a dem dem recruit and use,” the resident said. He pointed to an incident in her community where a man was gunned down in full view of others by a teen.

It was also discovered that teens are used to traffic arms. “You afi firm when yu have yu bwoy owntown Kingston residents are contending that much of the murders and shootings happening in their surroundings are being carried out by young shottas bent on making their names, and impressing their older counterparts who supply the guns.

THE WEEKEND STAR investigations have revealed that teens, 13 to 16 years, are apparently the ones creating much of the havoc in the streets of Kingston.

Though not limited to just these teenagers, crimes committed by them generally attract less income to fund ,while most of the incidents are believed to go unsolved. pickney dem cause di man dem use dem fi carry the gun and di shot dem. Dem carry it from one point to another, one lane to the next. So dem know weh it deh and how fi get it when dem want it,” said a father of three.

Residents say in some instances the teen killers are in turn protected by the gangsters, even in squabbles with family members.

“Sometime when you as relative talk to dem hard dem go back and tell di big man dem weh protect dem and dem start pree yuh. Yu afi start watch yu head back,” another resident revealed, adding that the weapons the young thugs use are sometimes bigger than them.

“A nuh nothing normal, a bare big mattic di yute dem a buss, gun weh bigga dan and older dan dem. A tru yu nuh know weh we a face in di streets. But a same place ya dem rise from and a weh dem come see,” an elder reasoned.

Head of the Kingston Central police, Superintendent Victor Hamilton, acknowledged reports that teens are involved in several crimes. He said: “Yes, I have seen incidents where firearms have been recovered from teenagers aged 16, 18, 19... but, to be more precise, I’d have to make checks with my crime officer”.

A teenage boy on Kingston Central police’s most wanted list was captured on Text Lane, Kingston, last August. The 16-year-old was wanted for more than 10 murders. He was held with a 9mm Browning pistol with nine cartridges.