(Jamaica Star) The Westmoreland police have now deployed a strong detachment of officers in and around the relatively quiet community of Whitehouse in an aim to apprehend a group of gunmen responsible for the robbery and murder of a popular service station operator in the area on Wednesday night.
The deceased has been identified as 54-year-old Shaun Thompson, who operates the Whitehouse Service Station, in Whitehouse.
A group of taxi operators who were seen congregated outside his service station expressed shock that anyone would attack, let alone kill Thompson.
They described Thompson as a very kind individual who always looked out for them, including selling them gas even when they didn’t have the full amount.
Reports by the Whitehouse police are that shortly after 10 p.m., Thompson had just closed up his business and went home in the upscale housing scheme of South Sea Park.
ROBBED HIM OF CASH
He reportedly drove into his yard, parked his vehicle, and went to his house, but came back outside to close the gates.
He was then pounced upon by armed men, who held him at gunpoint and robbed him of cash, before shooting him to his upper body, and escaping in the area.
The police were summoned and Thompson was transported to the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Commanding officer in charge of Westmoreland, Superintendent Robert Gordon, told THE WEEKEND STAR that the police are now in the early stages of the investigation, but so far they have strong reasons to believe that the motive behind the killing was robbery.
“I myself have visited the home of the deceased and lend my sympathies to the family in their time of grief. I have also assured them that we will be doing everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice,” Gordon said.
He also noted that the Whitehouse Police Division had not recorded a murder or any form of shooting during 2019, and he would now have to ensure that peace continued.
Thompson is the third person to be murdered in Westmoreland since the start of the year.