‘Everybody wants to be don’
Five shot, one fatally, as gunmen launch multiple attacks in Portmore
Published:Wednesday | March 8, 2023 | 1:21 AMCorey Robinson/Senior Staff Reporter
To access this article in full please login or register today
When Lanceval Grant had dinner and washed the dishes before venturing outside to wish his friend a happy birthday, little did he know he would be stepping into his death. Within seconds, gunshots echoed throughout Watson Grove – a hard-pressed...
When Lanceval Grant had dinner and washed the dishes before venturing outside to wish his friend a happy birthday, little did he know he would be stepping into his death.
Within seconds, gunshots echoed throughout Watson Grove – a hard-pressed community near Christian Pen in Greater Portmore, St Catherine. They were followed by screams and the sight of Grant’s lifeless body sprawled not far from his yard around 9 p.m. on Monday.
Grant, 34, was the only person who lost his life after gunmen went on a rampage, shooting five people in three isolated incidents across the municipality. Another man was shot in the attack which claimed Grant’s life but survived.
Meanwhile, two men were shot and injured in Reid’s Pen, not far from Braeton, while another victim – who was reportedly doing business on Port Henderson Road, popularly called ‘Back Road’ – cheated death when he was shot in the back of the head. The bullet reportedly exited through his mouth. That final incident happened shortly after 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
The other victims, including a man who police believe to be the main target of the Watson Grove attack, were all shot in their hands, and at least one of them had to undergo bone surgery, the police have reported.
On Tuesday, Watson Grove remained tense and the silence surrounding the incident continued long after police had removed the yellow tape and left.
“The war just going to start now. The place was nice. Even Friday night, something was kept down the road and shot fire. But is just some little man a fight fi be don. Everybody wants to be don,” offered one male resident, not far from where residents shovelled loose soil to cover bloodstains.
Residents claimed Grant was running from one set of shooters when he was cornered by another.
His girlfriend was too grief-stricken to talk to The Gleaner, but her mother, Sharon Chambers, described Grant as a “very nice person”, who was innocently gunned down in a war he plays no part in.
“He doesn’t come from Watson Grove. He just live there with my daughter for years. Everybody loved him,” cried Chambers, recounting her calls to Grant’s phone in the chilling seconds after the shooting.
Soon she was told the devastating news by a wailing neighbour, she said.
“Last night, I bawled and bawled. I couldn’t go look at him. I only glimpsed him on his belly and is pure blood him lie down in,” she cried. “If you ever knew him, you would have loved him. He was a good decent youth, who play ball with the kids them. Is an innocent youth they kill.”
Sleuths at the Greater Portmore Police Station said they had not yet identified any persons of interest in connection with any of the three shootings. Possible witnesses – and even victims – remained silent about their attackers when quizzed by cops.
“In the Back Road incident, it is reported that the shooter was banging on the doors of the premises and that the victim came out and told him to stop the noise. An argument ensued and the victim was shot in the back of the head. He also told cops that he doesn’t know who he was arguing with,” said an investigator.