Shooting murder of Glenford Reid at a Brampton party last year is now believed to be connected to the slaying of an acquaintance, Winston Watson

Shooting murder of Glenford Reid at a Brampton party last year is now believed to be connected to the slaying of an acquaintance, Winston Watson, who was shot dead on a Malton street. The slayings were possibly sparked by something that happened in Jamaica during a visit by Reid, 31, detectives said. Watson, 47, a general labourer and a father of two, was shot dead on Brandon Gate Dr. near Rockhill Rd. on March 15, 2007. He was walking along Brandon Gate when he was confronted by a gunman who opened fire, hitting him several times. The gunman ran to a parked car and drove away. Last June 30, Reid, whose street name is Prento, was at a Canada Day party at a Woodsend Run home in the Mavis Rd.-Hwy. 407 area when he was repeatedly shot as he was standing beside his brother. Also injured at the party was Anthony Campbell, 37, and the homeowner's four-year-old grandniece, who was grazed in the arm by a bullet.
Although there were about 100 people at the party, detectives have been getting little co-operation, police said. "The nature of the dispute in Jamaica that connects a number of individuals that's associated to both homicides," Insp. Norm English said yesterday. He didn't want to elaborate on the nature of the dispute in Jamaica, but said "drugs, revenge, guns, gangs are all avenues that we and our partners in Jamaica will be exploring."

Mohammed Anwar grocer was kidnapped at gunpoint in Pakistan by crooks who demanded a £50,000 ransom.

grocer was kidnapped at gunpoint in Pakistan by crooks who demanded a £50,000 ransom. The gang threatened to kill dad-of-five Mohammed Anwar, 64, if the cash wasn't paid within two days. But Mohammed was freed after several terrifying days in captivity and is now back home with his family in Glasgow. A relative told the Record last night: "He's been through two weeks of hell. When you talk about what happened he starts shaking. "The family were in total shock. They were going out of their minds with worry." Mohammed was abducted on Tuesday, January 27, by armed men who walked into a relative's home in the Punjabi city of Sadikabad. A local man, the son of his brother-in-law, was also taken. The Record found out about the kidnap within hours but agreed not to print the story while Mohammed was still a hostage. Police believe the decision helped safeguard his life. A family source said: "Mohammed had been in Pakistan for a few weeks, visiting relatives. "He was approached out of the blue by an armed mob who marched him away at gunpoint. They demanded the equivalent of £50,000 by the Thursday or they would shoot both men."
Hours after Mohammed was abducted, Strathclyde cops were with his family at their flat in Glasgow's west end. The Scots force went on to play a major role in the struggle to free him. A "significant number" of officers were assigned to the case.
The kidnappers made demands to the family by telephone. Police camped out at the flat and sources say the phones were tapped. Officers from Strathclyde's Major Crime and Terrorism Investigation Unit worked closely with cops in the Punjab and gave the family round-the-clock support. Delicate negotiations began between the kidnappers, the Pakistani authorities and Strathclyde Police Serious Crime Squad. The family insider said: "It was unbelievably tense as they waited for news." But the terror of Mohammed's wife and children turned to joy when they got the news that he and his relative had been freed. It is understood the family paid a five-figure ransom but this has not been confirmed. Mohammed flew home this week and was reunited with wife Balkish, daughters Soraya, 39, Kishwar, 26 and Ishorat, 23, and sons Shahid, 30, and Zahid 29. His brother, Mohammed Salim, said: "It's not a small thing he's been through - he's been through two weeks of hell." Asked about the ransom, Mr Salim said: "I can't talk about that at all just now." Mr Salim said Mohammed was "in trauma" and depressed. But despite his ordeal, he has been back at work at KRK Continental grocers in Woodlands, Glasgow. A friend said: "He's a popular and well-known part of the community. We're very pleased that he is back and safe."
Mohammed worked full-time at KRK from 1979 to 1992 before leaving to set up on his own as a butcher. He later sold his business and is now semi-retired but still helps out at KRK from time to time. Mr Salim thanked the Record for not reporting the story during the kidnap. And Detective Superintendent Colin Field, of the major crime and terror unit, said: "I'm grateful to the Record and its journalists for their level of understanding and co-operation." He said Mohammed's life would have been at greater risk if the kidnappers had learned from press reports that police were involved in the case. Mohammed's ordeal has raised fears that more Scots Asians, who are considered wealthy in Pakistan, could be targeted by kidnappers while visiting relatives. The Anwar family's local councillor in Glasgow, Hanzala Malik, said: "Pakistan is feeling the pinch economically and teetering on the edge politically. "When people find themselves in situations like that, the unfortunate fact is that some will turn to crime." 'The family were in total shock. They were out of their minds with worry'

Francis Alex Degioanni was shot by two men on a motorcycle as he sat in a black Toyota

Canadian real estate developer died on his birthday after he was riddled with bullets by two men on a motorcycle.At the time of the attack, Francis Alex Degioanni was sitting in his black Toyota outside his seven-story Panorama Condominium block, located in a hillside area off Nanai Rd in South Patong.Kathu Police officers were alerted to the incident at around 8.30 pm. They hurried to the scene along with doctors from Patong Hospital and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation.
Medical examination showed Mr Degioanni had seven .38 caliber bullet wounds in his body, four in his arms, one in the head, one in the neck and one in the chest.
Mr Degioanni’s girlfriend, Nanthawadee Phenjaroenwatthana, said that before the incident the two of them were in the condo building waiting to go out to celebrate his birthday. Mr Degioanni received a telephone call and told her he had to go out for a short while to take care of some business, she said.When Mr Degioanni got into his car, two men pulled up on a motorbike and opened fire. They then fled, Ms Nanthawadee said.Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonark said that Mr Degioanni had been doing business in Phuket for five years, selling condominiums in Patong to foreign tourists.The attack may have been the result of a business dispute, but police were also investigating other motives including romantic jealously, he said.At the time of his death, Mr Degioanni was involved in a court case, having allegedly being cheated out of 20 million baht in a real estate scam, Col Grissak added.Wealthy Canadian real estate developer in Thailand was shot and killed on a popular resort island Thursday, a local Thai newspaper is reporting. The Phuket Gazette says that Francis Alex Degioanni was shot by two men on a motorcycle as he sat in a black Toyota outside a condominium in the tourist town of Patong in the southern Thai island of Phuket. Degioanni was shot multiple times by .38 calibre bullets with seven entering his body, four in his arms, one in his head, one in his neck and one in his chest, the newspaper reported. His girlfriend, a local woman identified as Nanthawadee Phenjaroenwatthana, told the newspaper that she and Degioanni were supposed to go out and celebrate his birthday Thursday before she received a call that he had to run an errand before their meeting. Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonark told the paper that Degioanni had been living in Thailand for five years. His business involved selling condominiums in Patong to foreigners. Songmoonark said that police were investigating whether a current court case involving Degioanni led to the killing. He was currently settling a dispute with a business partner who claimed that they had been cheated out of 20 million baht (C$704,822). Police were also reportedly investigating a motive involving romantic ties, the newspaper said.Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon arrived in Phuket yesterday to personally oversee the investigation into the murder of Francis Alex Degioanni, the Canadian man who was shot and killed by two men outside his Panorama Condominium office on February 19.Police Region 8 Commander Santarn Chayanon arrived in Phuket yesterday to personally oversee the investigation into the murder of Francis Alex Degioanni, the Canadian man who was shot and killed by two men outside his Panorama Condominium office on February 19.Lt Gen Santarn then chaired a two-hour meeting at Kathu Police station to discuss the case. Among those attending were Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongtong, Kathu Police Superintendent Grissak Songmoonnak, investigating officers and tourist police.They discussed the possibility that the killing was the result of a dispute over a joint business venture. Mr Degioanni is understood to have been involved in a court case with a former Thai business partner over the alleged disappearance of 20 million baht.Police have yet to rule out other possible motives, however.Lt Gen Santarn ordered investigators to examine closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from cameras at streets nearest the crime scene.The seven bullet wounds sustained by Mr Degioanni included both .38 and .327 caliber slugs, it was reported.Phuket Governor Preecha Ruangjan yesterday said he had ordered an expedited investigation because a quick arrest would help maintain Phuket's image as a safe tourist destination.Meanwhile, The Vancouver Sun has reported that Mario Degioanni, the victim’s father, said that Francis “had become increasingly nervous during the phone calls he made to his parents twice a week,” and that last month he had been poisoned and hospitalized.

A local cable television news program in Phuket City last night broadcast extended and graphic footage of Mr Degioanni’s naked body being examined by medical staff at Patong Hospital. One of the slugs had entered his neck near the carotid artery.
The Gazette was unable to confirm reports in a local Thai-language newspaper that police already have a suspect in custody.That regional police are directly involved in the investigation reflects the high-profile nature of the case, which has drawn more international interest than any of the many killings in Phuket since the stabbing murder of Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund in Mai Khao last March.

Sara Vandeneynde said yesterday that she narrowly escaped death after being shot in the neck by a U.S. deputy marshal

Sara Vandeneynde said yesterday that she narrowly escaped death after being shot in the neck by a U.S. deputy marshal, who had been hit by a car driven by a wanted man.
Deputy Marshal Rodney Hartzell stopped a vehicle driven by Terry Moll, 33, of 18 City Park Ave., Apt. 45, at East Broadway and Starr Avenue about 6 p.m. Wednesday and ordered him out of the car at gunpoint, authorities said.Moll fled and struck Mr. Hartzell with his car. Ms. Vandeneynde was in the passenger's seat.The federal officer then fired a shot through the driver's side window, striking Ms. Vandeneynde in the neck, authorities said."I felt like I wasn't going to make it," Ms. Vandeneynde, 22, said from her hospital bed at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center, where she remained in fair condition last night.Mr. Hartzell hurt his knee when he was knocked to the ground by the car. He was treated at St. Vincent.

Gun madness is gripping Jamaica

Gun madness is gripping Jamaica, with 61 murders recorded in the 34 days already gone this year. The last six murders were committed within a ten-hour span yesterday.
The latest murder victims have been identified as: Joel Victor, 22; Keon Murphy, 29; Denver Massiah, 30; Kevon Henry, 21; Jean Paul Pierre, 25, and Kenneth Chandler, 41.
The rampant murders this year, come as a slap to the face of National Security Minister Martin Joseph, who during a recent post-Cabinet press conference, confidently assured the nation that TT would not see a repeat of 2008, the year when the all-time murder record of 545 was set. If the current rate of almost two murders a day continues, the 2008 record would easily be surpassed. Pressed for comment on the murders, Joseph yesterday said: “I remain committed to ensuring that law enforcement will do all in its power to ensure the homicide figures will change in 2009”. The latest killing spree began at about 5 am yesterday when an acquaintance of Joel Victor went to a house in St Barb’s, Laventille and found a door to the back broken down. The man later discovered the bullet-riddled bodies of Victor and Keon Murphy on a bed. Up to late last night, investigators said they had no motive for this double-murder. Also at 5 am, an off-duty police officer discovered the body of ‘PH’ driver Denver Massiah of Upper Dundonald Hill, Long Circular Road, St James, lying in a track near his (Massiah) home with gunshot wounds to the head and hand. Police are unsure if Massiah was killed where he was found or if he was killed elsewhere and dumped there. Two hours later, at 7 am, residents of St Augustine Terrace in Diego Martin found the body of Kevon Henry of Mercer Street, Diego Martin on the roadside. Henry who was shot multiple times, was well-known to the police.

Three and a half hours later, at about 10.30 am, 24-year-old delivery truck driver Jean Paul Pierre who worked with LJ Williams Ltd, was shot and killed outside Chang Su Young Mini Mart at Tenth Avenue in Barataria, while off-loading goods from the delivery truck.

Pierre of Morne Diablo Road in Penal, was accosted by a gunman who opened fire before running off. Police believe this was a case of a failed robbery. His relative, Shelly Ann Paul-Huddling said Pierre began working with LJ Williams two months ago and left home at about 4 am everyday in order to get to work on time.
Paul-Huddling said the family was very traumatised by Pierre’s violent death and she wondered aloud what was this country coming to. “Life is no longer respected...the innocent ones are being killed,” she cried. In the final incident, at about 2.40 pm, Kenneth Chandler of Building II, Apartment 3-1, Laventille went to a mechanic shop at Reyes Road near Wharton Street in Laventille to have his vehicle repaired.
Without warning, a man walked up to Chandler and shot him several times before running off. The police were called in and officers took Chandler to Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead-on-arrival. Police sources said no autopsies were carried out at the Forensic Science Centre in St James yesterday which means today will be an extremely busy day at Forensic with autopsies on at least eight murder victims (six from yesterday and two from over the weekend) being scheduled to be carried out.

Two gunmen opened fire inside a crowded coffee shop, killing one man and wounding six others

Police on Friday sought two gunmen who opened fire inside a crowded coffee shop, killing one man and wounding six others, several critically, in a suspected gang-related revenge attack. Sheriff Lee Baca said it appeared the masked gunmen were targeting a specific person. "The manner in which it was done suggests it was a payback situation or a revenge situation," Baca said. "They had a specific person they were trying to shoot." Sheriff's officials said it did not appear to be a robbery because the shooters opened fire immediately and did not demand money. "The preliminary investigation would lead homicide detectives to believe this is gang-related," sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. The shop was crowded with at least 40 people when the attack occurred late Thursday, but deputies were having a hard time finding witnesses. "We know people saw something," Whitmore said. "And we need them to come forward and help us solve this crime." The Coffee House cafe is located in a strip mall along a busy street about 20 miles east of Los Angeles. A Chinese bakery, foot massage parlor and Vietnamese restaurant are nearby. An initial report by authorities said two people had died in the attack, but Whitmore said only one was dead. The victim's identity was not immediately released. Two of the wounded people were taken to hospitals in critical condition, authorities said.
Four people who appeared to work at the cafe declined to speak to a reporter as they mopped up pools of blood and swept away blood-soaked playing cards and glass from a smashed table top. Owners and customers at surrounding businesses were reluctant to discuss the attack. Some said they did not speak English. One person, who asked to remain anonymous because of fear of retaliation, said the shop was a popular nighttime hangout for young people, and police had been called there in the past.
The shop's surveillance cameras were not working properly and did not record the attack, San Gabriel police Sgt. Rene Hernandez said.

Man was shot dead in a liquor store parking lot Friday night

About 8:30 p.m., a 36-year-old man was shot in the face outside the Glass House Party Supply liquor store, 2547 N Cincinnati Ave. The man, whose name was not released Friday night, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. A witness told police that three men ran from the scene and that the shooter ditched a hooded shirt and a handgun in front of a house before running inside it. Police took three people from a nearby house into custody and recovered the shirt and gun, authorities said.
One of the people taken into custody matched the description of the shooter "to a T,” said Tulsa police Capt. Shawn King."We’re pretty certain that we do have the shooters in custody,” King said of the arrests.Officers were having crowd-control issues at the crime scene, as about two dozen onlookers and distraught family members stood in the parking lot where the shooting occurred, some going beyond the crime-scene tape.

Police shot and killed a gunman early Friday morning

Reginald Bernard Smith, 27, of Fort Valley, died on the scene after police responded to a large fight at the restaurant at 2:18 a.m. Smith had a gun and was described by police as an “active shooter.” Police shot and killed a gunman early Friday morning outside the Waffle House at 1287 S. Houston Lake Road. An autopsy showed that Smith was shot multiple times by both officers involved in the shooting, according to a Warner Robins police news release issued late Friday afternoon. Police declined to release the exact number of times Smith was shot.The fatal shot was in the upper torso, the release said.At a news conference earlier Friday, Warner Robins Police Chief Brett Evans said the shooting stemmed from a fight inside the restaurant during which a gun was pulled. There were visible signs inside the restaurant that a fight had taken place before the altercation moved outside, he said.Two responding city police officers heard shots fired and went around the back of the restaurant, confronting the gunman, Evans said.Evans said he could not say whether a verbal command was given by police to the gunman before he was shot. The chief said it was a matter of seconds between when the officers heard at least two shots fired by the gunman and when police fired.One officer was armed with a rifle and the other with a handgun, he said.Police do not know how many people were involved in the altercation with Smith, and the person or people involved may have fled before police arrived, Evans said.Evans declined to release the names of the officers. One officer is a one-year member of the force, and the other has been with the department for three years, Evans said. The department has launched an internal investigation, which is standard policy in a lethal-force incident, Warner Robins police Maj. John Wagner said in an interview outside of the news conference. The officers are on paid administrative leave pending the completion of the internal investigation, Evans said. A separate criminal investigation is also being conducted into the general incident itself, he said.Because of the nature of the incident, Wagner said, officers responded from the sheriff’s offices in Houston and Peach counties and the cities of Centerville, Perry and Fort Valley. However, the two responding Warner Robins police officers were the only officers on scene when the shooting happened, Evans said.In an interview outside of the news conference, Warner Robins police Lt. Chris Rooks estimated it would take at least two days to interview all the people who were on scene when police arrived. Evans estimated the crowd at 50 to 75 people.
The restaurant was closed Friday.The last fatal shooting involving Warner Robins police was Jan. 16, 2008, when a suspected armed robber was shot and killed during a holdup of the Food Lion at 2607 Moody Road.Leon Stafford, 38, of 266 Forest Ave., Macon, was shot once in the side after he opened fire on law enforcement officers inside the grocery store, police said.An internal Warner Robins police investigation found that the officer was justified in using deadly force. Houston County District Attorney Kelly Burke upheld those findings.

Tina Lester was arrested Friday on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Ronald Schlatter of LaPorte, Colo.

65-year-old woman wanted in a 1968 slaying in Denver has been arrested in Dayton, Ohio. where police say she's been living under an alias.Denver police spokeswoman Sharon Avendano says Tina Lester was arrested Friday on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Ronald Schlatter of LaPorte, Colo.According to a Denver Post article from the time, Schlatter was playing pool at the Blue Chip Bar on Nov. 8, 1968, when he and Lester got into a scuffle.Lester allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Schlatter in the chest. Witnesses told police Schlatter grabbed the gun and fired at Lester as she fled. He then collapsed and died.Avendano says Denver's homicide unit obtained a warrant for Lester's arrest in 1968 and has been looking for her since.

It is not unusual for one gun to be used in one member state or territory for one crime, and then show up in another member state for another crime

In Trinidad, 544 people were murdered last year and official statistics show that 295, or 54.2 per cent, were killed as a result of gang-related activities involving the use of firearms.

Figures are staggering. About half a billion small arms are in use around the world and nearly half a million people are killed by them annually.For Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), where more than 100 people have so far been murdered in January, the illicit trade in small arms is especially worrying.“It is not unusual for one gun to be used in one member state or territory for one crime, and then show up in another member state for another crime,” said Lynne Anne Williams, executive director of the Trinidad-based Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS).“Sometimes, there is connectivity between the victims and the perpetrators of the crime and we have not been able to aggressively pursue those links,” she said.Both the Jamaican and T&T governments have linked the illicit gun trade to illegal drugs, identifying Colombia, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela as countries from which sophisticated small arms find their way into the local markets.Martin Joseph, chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council of Ministers responsible for national security and law enforcement, said that in a significant number of cases, there is a correlation between the illegal narcotics trade and that of the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons.

“These weapons are used to protect contraband goods, intimidate users and competitors, protect turf, coerce recruits into gangs, maintain discipline within these gangs and to execute those who threaten to curtail the lifeline of the trade,” said Joseph, who is also T&T’s national security minister.

Joseph said that gun-related violence was also weighing down public-health systems, as well as creating social and economic problems for many CARICOM states.In its 2007 report, Crime, Violence, and Development: Trends, Costs, and Policy Options in the Caribbean, the World Bank said that “the high rates of crime and violence in the Caribbean are undermining growth, threatening human welfare, and impeding social development”.Last year, the United Nations (UN) called on the Jamaican Government to institute strict gun-control regulations as a means of stemming the heavy inflow of guns and ammunition into the island. In Trinidad and Tobago, Joseph told Parliament recently that “we had a situation in 2008 that was totally unacceptable in terms of homicide”.A recently commissioned UN report on the impact of small arms on children and adolescents in Central America and the Caribbean said illegal arms dealers earn millions in foreign exchange annually from the deadly trade.“Small arms are widely available in the region, and the trade in arms is highly lucrative, with US$3.5-US$10.1 million for the legal trade and much more for the illegal trade,” the report said.According to the report, Latin America and the Caribbean account for 42 per cent of all homicides globally, and this region has “the highest rate of armed violence in the world”.Figures released by the Jamaican police indicate that between January 1, 2005 and May 31 last year, 5,068 people were murdered. Of that number, 78 per cent were killed with a gun. More than 2,000 others were shot and injured during the same period.Three years ago, Caribbean governments agreed to the formation of IMPACS. Now the agency is developing a regional integrated ballistic information network (RIBIN) to help member states combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and the crimes involved in their use.“The rise in gun-related crimes in the region is indeed a troubling aspect of our current reality,” Joseph told a meeting of firearm examiners and ballistic experts from the region in Port-of-Spain last month. “Virtually every member state of CARICOM is being afflicted by this scourge.”“In 2000, firearms were responsible for less than one-third of all homicides in many CARICOM states. However, by May 2006, gun-related crimes accounted for over 70 per cent of criminal activity. Illicit firearms are now a significant aspect of a growing culture of violence within the region,” Joseph said.Williams said that the meeting, which allowed the high-level delegations to further formulate plans for RIBIN, represented an important step forward “and a concrete example of how we are working to improve investigative and prosecutorial capacity to support law enforcement”.RIBIN is intended to support Caribbean territories that lack the forensic technology to identify the “fingerprint” of the ammunition used in a crime and to record the details about the firearm used.“There are three or four member states that own such systems and we are seeking to establish at least one or two systems in strategic locations across the region where member states that do not have resources to have their own system can have access to a system,” Williams said.She said the initiative would allow for greater cooperation with countries like the United States and Canada.Washington has already warned Jamaica, where 1,611 people were murdered last year, that the high crime rate was affecting businesses and that it could impact negatively on investments.Karen Hilliard, the United States Agency for International Development mission director to Jamaica, said data from a World Bank report showed that small companies in Jamaica spent, on average, 17 per cent of their annual revenue on security costs.
“This is alarmingly comparable to an approximate 23 per cent spent by small firms in war-torn Iraq,” Hilliard said.The World Bank study indicated that the costs of crime totalled five per cent of Jamaica’s gross domestic product and the World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2009 gave Jamaica a ranking of 63 out of 181 economies assessed, showing a minimal decline from 62 in the 2008 report.