KINGSTON, Jamaica – Two women, ages 44 and 45, were on Wednesday shot dead less than six hours apart in the Red Hills Road area of Kingston, in what the police say stemmed from an ongoing feud in the volatile “100 Lane” community.
In the first incident, a woman identified as Rosemarie Ballentine was standing at her gate in the community when she was approached by a gunman.
The man immediately opened fire hitting her several times before making his escape.
Then hours later the other woman, whose name is yet to be released, was standing close to a tyre shop on Red Hills Road when she was attacked and gunned down.
Police yesterday said they suspect that the second attack was an act of reprisal.
“We are still carrying out investigations into the matter and we are looking at several leads into the case, one of them is that the last attack may have been a reprisal for the first,” a police source told OBSERVER ONLINE.
The cops say they are also probing reports that the attacks may have stemmed from a gang feud now taking place in the community.
“Right now people in the community are on edge we are in fear we want the police to take up this matter,” a resident from the community told OBSERVER ONLINE yesterday, requesting that her name be withheld out of fear of reprisal.
Police say they have since launched a massive search for the killers.
The attack on the women came less than a day after Tuesday’s incident where the body of Kayalicia Simpson, a student of Donald Quarrie High School was found behind her house in St Thomas.
Reports are that about 4:30 am the child awakened and went outside as is customary to prepare for school.
Family members became suspicious after she failed to return. A search was launched and the body of the child found with several chop wounds.