By Ricardo Wells
Tribune Staff Reporter
rwells@tribunemedia.net
A 28-year-old man was shot dead after pulling up to his Yellow Elder Gardens home late Tuesday night.
The shooting took place shortly before 11pm on Seymour Street, pushing the country’s murder count to 18 for the year according to The Tribune’s records.
Police were called to the scene and found the victim lying on the side of the street with gunshot wounds. EMS paramedics were subsequently called, but were unable to revive the man and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to police, the victim, along with a woman companion, arrived at the home, exited the vehicle and while in the process of securing the property, were approached by two armed assailants who opened fire.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Shanta Knowles told reporters at the scene: “We are appealing to members of the public, especially those who may have been in the street or in their yards around the time of this incident, to give us a call with whatever information they may have that can assist us in solving this matter.”
Police yesterday identified the victim as Glenton Smith Jr.
Last week, when asked about concerns about recent homicides, National Security Minister Marvin Dames said police were making strides in the crime fight, noting at the time that homicides were “down more than 50 percent” compared with this time last year.
According to The Tribune’s records, there were 32 homicides by this time last year, representing a decrease of about 43 percent.
When the statistics are compared month to month, murders in the month of February were reduced by exactly 50 per cent, dropping from 18 in 2017 to nine this year.
Anyone with information on this homicide or any crime is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.
Comments
John 6 years, 1 month ago
Not many years ago there was no such thing as a crime, especially murder, committed with a hand gun in this country. If a person wanted to commit a crime he had to use a stolen shotgun, that was usually dawn off and shortened, a fake gun or toy, a machete or some other weapon that was less deadly. And even when the criminals had the shotgun they rarely had ammunition and so there were few crimes that resulted in murder. In those days the murder rate for the country was in the single digits and barely past three. The point then is the police and other authorities need to focus more on the proliferation of guns in this country and expose who is behind it. After the recent mass killings in a school in America, the president of that country is seeking to arm some teachers and consequently put more guns in schools. The biggest difference between gun crimes in that country and the crimes here is that the offenders in the US are licensed carriers and their weapons are rapid firing and more powerful. There are usually red flags that go up before the killings and the suspect is usually clearly identified and eventually convicted. Here murders are done under the cover of darkness or under disguise , and because the killers are in many cases never clearly identified it leads to additional murders, not unlike domonioes falling on a table. So then police must now go more aggressively after the persons who are smuggling guns in this country. Seeking to arm young men. Then jinxing them to kill one another. Dead. They are the real killers. Not to wait until the country decides to go the way of the US and everyone starts to arm themselves.
John 6 years, 1 month ago
And who is talking to the young men? Who is trying to steer them away from crime and drugs and gangs? Are the police so convinced that all young men are the problem in this country that they now have the right to shoot them down like dogs. Or to pull them off the streets on their way to work or just to the neighborhood store and lock them away for days. Denying family and friends the right to see them and causing them to miss school or lose good paying jobs. Then beating them and verbally abusing them and making them angry and trying to pin crimes on innocent victims, who do you think is the problem? While your children and grandchildren are safe and unbothered in some private school or some high paying government job. The only police about you is the uniform.
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