Relative of three men killed in Central Village denies they were linked to gang

By Kimone Witter    

 

A relative of the three young men killed in Central Village, St. Catherine on Wednesday is denying that they were linked to a gang.

 

Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Smith, Jahiem Ferguson and his brother Giovanni Ferguson were found with bullet wounds at a house in McBride Hill.

 

The police believe the incident was the result of a shootout among rival gunmen in the area.

 

But, the mother of the Ferguson brothers says they and their cousin were hardworking men who are being wrongfully accused.

 

"The only thing my baby dem guilty ah - the little one - a fi mek noise.... The big one, him don't talk.... Unuh kill mi baby dem already, and den unuh aguh seh mi pickney dem bad? My nephew nuh bad, him hears just tough," she recalled. 

 

The police said about 9:45, a group of men carrying M16 rifles and handguns invaded the yard at McBride Hill.

 

The three men were killed when the gunmen fired on the dwelling. 

 

Member of Parliament for St. Catherine Eastern, Denise Daley, said she will be requesting that the police maintain a presence in Central Village.

 

Ms. Daley, who visited the family of the slain men on Thursday, told Radio Jamaica News that the community is tense and residents are fearful.

 

She expressed disappointment at the shooting so early in the New Year. 

 

"It's the start of the year and I did not expect to be having this kind of interview today. I was thinking that we would still be in a joyous mood, but today, the community is very sad. And I want to assure them that we will do everything to protect the citizens. I've seen persons moving around trying to make themselves very invisible because they don't want to even speak to me because they are afraid and...it's sad to know that as a nation we have come to this," she lamented.