The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was found shot to death in the passenger’s seat of a stolen vehicle that was parked in the driveway of a home in the Mackey Street area early Thursday morning.

According to Chief Superintendent Solomon Cash, officer in charge of the Central Detective Unit (CDU), the car was still running when officers arrived at the scene at Hillside Street and Benico Road.

He said sometime around 8.30am, police received reports of a male left in a vehicle on Hillside Street/Benico Road with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The car’s engine was still running when The Tribune arrived on the scene.

“The only information we’re working with thus far is that a relative came to this location to visit one of his relatives, when they discovered a vehicle parked in the driveway, which was unusual,” Chief Supt Cash said.

“He alerted his relative, they did an examination of the vehicle and they found the lifeless body of a male lying in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Police did an examination of the vehicle and they confirmed there was apparent damage to the rear windshield of this vehicle and the male had an apparent gunshot wound to the head.”

Police have not released an identity of the victim, but The Tribune understands he is Marvin Woods. Chief Supt Cash said the car, a black Honda Stream, was stolen sometime after 6am Thursday.

However, he said police do not know the motive for the latest homicide, which pushed the country’s homicide count to 96 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records.

“We are appealing to members of the public who have any information that can assist us in proving this incident further to feel free to contact the police at 919 or the (CDU) at 502-9991 or 328-TIPS,” Chief Supt Cash said.

On Monday, two men were killed and three others, including two women, were hospitalised after three separate shootings on that day.

In the first shooting, a man and woman were sitting in a yard on Abner Street, Fox Hill around 9pm when the occupants of a dark coloured vehicle shot at them before speeding off. The victims were said to be in stable condition at hospital, according to police.

The second shooting took place an hour later in Palmdale. A man and woman were approached by two men armed with handguns as they were about to make a deposit at a bank on Madeira Street. The gunmen shot and robbed them of a deposit bag before speeding off in a dark coloured vehicle.

The man, said to be a security guard, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the woman was listed in critical condition at hospital.

The final shooting occurred an hour later on Monday, shortly before 11pm, in Pinewood Gardens. According to police, a man pulled into the driveway of his home on Croton Street, when the occupants of a dark coloured vehicle shot him before speeding off.

He later died in hospital.

After those killings, Acting Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson announced the establishment of a 24-hour incident room at the Central Detective Unit (CDU) as police revamp their crime strategies.

The acting commissioner said while he will not provide further details, the impact of the revised strategy will be “felt and seen.”

Persons can reach the 24-hour incident room at 502-9969, 502-9971, or 502-9904. CDU’s main line is 502-9991.