Today, the commissioner of police held a briefing on recent crimes. He discussed a shooting in the Lake Independence area last night where a home with 6 children inside was shot up.
It happened around 8:15 pm on M and M street when two gunmen opened fire on a 33 year old man. As many as nine shots were fired in an ongoing internal war within the gang in that area.
The COMPOL told us how they are responding:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Police observed a building with multiple bullet holes. Information suggests that a group of young men, 2 basically, went into the area and fired shots at the house. The intended target was there, along with a number of children. But thankfully, none of them were injured during the incident. I was in the area this morning and I took with me the SPU and the GI3 and I have given them specific instructions in terms of what I want to see get done in the area to be able to alleviate these frequent incidents of shooting."
"Obviously, there is intense rivalry between the two fractions of BLC. As you know, they have been split into two. So the rivalry between them continues. But I want to assure the residents of the Martin's area, and in particular those in the Police Street and the Holy Emmanuel area, that the police will be doing what we must do to keep the area safe."
"And if we see that what we're doing fails, then we go to the most drastic measure, which you all know what that means."
Reporter
"What is the Leadership Intervention Unit doing in respect of this issue?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Well, Leadership Intervention Unit has done a number of interventions with the two rivaling groups. I myself partook in one of those interventions, and both parties had promised that they are going to put aside their personal differences and try to coexist in the same area. But seemingly, the interventions are not working."
"They come to the sessions and made promises, and when they leave, the promises are broken. So that means that we are no longer going to speak with them in terms of trying to get them to cooperate."
"I can tell you that they have been suspended from the LIU program because some of them were members of LIU, and those persons concerned have been suspended from LIU program at this time until we can get a grip of the situation."
