After four years without a reported murder in the close-knit community of August Town, located in St Andrew, Jamaica, a shocking wave of violence has shattered the area’s hard-won peace. Over the course of one week, two brothers were killed in targeted attacks that local law enforcement says were ordered by a notorious wanted gang leader. Police have identified the suspected mastermind as Oshane Morris, who is known locally by the alias Chucky and has appeared on the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s most-wanted list for nearly a year.
The second and most recent of the two killings took place in the pre-dawn darkness of last Saturday. When emergency responders and police arrived at the scene following reports of an structure fire on August Town Road, they made a grim discovery: the victim’s body, which bore multiple apparent gunshot wounds to the head, had been partially burned in the blaze set at the property. Authorities have not yet publicly released the identity of the Saturday victim, but have confirmed that both slain men are relatives of popular Jamaican reggae singer Etana.
Shortly after the second killing, Etana took to her social media channels to sound the alarm about the targeted violence against her family. “My relatives are under attack in August Town. They have taken a second person this morning. He is mentally ill and they have burned my aunt’s shop to the ground,” the artist wrote in her public post, bringing international attention to the unrest in the community.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Monday, Superintendent Mark Harris, head of the St Andrew Central Police Division which has jurisdiction over August Town, confirmed that law enforcement has launched an intensive manhunt for Morris, and that officers remained deployed in the area as they worked to track down the suspect and restore public calm. “As we speak, I am in the area,” Harris stated.
Harris explained that the two killings stem from a brewing gang conflict that erupted earlier this year in African Gardens, a small neighborhood within August Town. “The community has had two murders because we have a small section of August Town known as African Gardens, where a gang conflict emerged since the start of the year, leading to two brothers being killed. It is said that they were ordered to be killed by a wanted man who is a gang leader in the area named Chucky,” he explained.
Despite a sustained heavy security presence in the community, including an active Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) designation that grants expanded authorities to security forces, the perpetrators were still able to carry out the early morning attacks. “We have a lot of resources in the area and a zone of special operations is also in the area, but these men manage to do these things at nights. One of the brothers was killed at 4:00 am. In that incident, they lit the house and when the fellow ran out they shot him,” Harris detailed.
Local residents have expressed shock at the end of August Town’s four-year period without homicide, and police are urging community members to come forward with any information that could help lead to Morris’ capture, while reassuring the public that every available resource is being deployed to prevent further violence.