Triple murder in Kidd Lane prompts calls for CCTV and streetlights

Opposition Leader Golding and MP Brown Burke demand security infrastructure after a mother, her infant, and a neighbour were shot dead in Kidd Lane, St Andrew.

Politicians demand CCTV and lighting for Kidd Lane after three killed

Opposition Leader Mark Golding and St Andrew South West Member of Parliament Dr Angela Brown Burke are demanding improved streetlights and CCTV cameras for inner-city communities following Friday's fatal shooting of three people in Kidd Lane, off Spanish Town Road. The two visited the area on Monday, jamaica-gleaner.com reports.

The victims were identified as 30-year-old Lashane Ellis, her one-year-old son Kaheel Daley, and 39-year-old neighbour Kimeisha Gibson.

Kidd Lane falls within Brown Burke's constituency, which borders Golding's St Andrew Southern constituency.

Golding described conditions in the community as "dismal" and said the killings were a reminder that Jamaica's improving murder statistics had not eliminated the threat of violence for many residents.

"It just reflects the fact that even though our murder statistics have improved, Jamaica is still not a safe place for many, many people," he said. "It's sad, because I know the police have been trying hard to get on top of things, but there's still more work to be done."

Brown Burke pointed to a pattern of gunmen deliberately destroying streetlights to create cover for criminal activity. "We had lights before. People come, they shoot out the lights, but they shoot it out also specifically to be able to do these things," she said.

She also acknowledged the difficulty this posed for the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) in maintaining the infrastructure. "Sometimes I know JPS doesn't really rush to replace a light. And I understand that from a financial perspective as well, because when you put it up, it's shot out, and you put it up, shot out again, how do you protect that asset?" Brown Burke said.

Both politicians argued that technology must be part of a broader security response, underpinned by a sustained police presence to protect public infrastructure and rebuild residents' confidence.

Golding said officers would need to remain in the area to ensure any installed equipment was not vandalised by criminal elements. Security measures, he added, should allow the community to stabilise and residents to move about without fear.

The People's National Party president also raised the possibility of declaring Kidd Lane a Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO), though he repeated earlier reservations about such arrangements being extended indefinitely.

"What I think is lacking is that kind of exit strategy for ZOSOs. It's like once you go in there, they seem to just go on," Golding said. He stressed that residents needed to know when authorities planned to return the community to a normal legal framework, noting that a ZOSO was never intended as a permanent measure.

"Having said that, though, I think this is a situation where it must be considered, as maybe a way of getting this community to stabilise," he added.

Brown Burke said the killings had left the community traumatised, with several residents reportedly relocating since Friday's incident.

Police maintain presence, two in custody

Assistant Commissioner of Police Damion Manderson, commanding officer for the St Andrew South Division, said officers had maintained a strong presence in Kidd Lane and the surrounding area.

He said residents were cooperating with investigators but remained deeply anxious about their safety following the deaths of two women and a child.

"Their concern is their security at this stage, understandable after women and a child were killed. It suggests to the average resident that it could have been me, could have been them," Manderson said.

The division's community safety and security team had been visiting the area daily to reassure residents and provide trauma support, he added.

Police believe the killings stemmed from an internal gang feud involving young men who grew up together in the community. "These are young men who grew up together, knew each other, know exactly about each other. And it's unfortunate that this is the turn that things have taken," Manderson said.

Two individuals were in custody and were to be interviewed by detectives. Manderson also disclosed that attorneys and parents of other persons of interest had contacted the police, and those individuals were being urged to turn themselves in.

The senior officer said the division's relationship with residents had contributed to significant reductions in gang-related violence, including in the Two Miles area, and that the community's willingness to cooperate was evidence of the trust built between police and residents over time.

Source: Google News JM — Crime