Shots at bus stop

An eyewitness says he was at a bus stop along Fitts Village, St James when 23-year-old Mark Walton lost his life during a shooting incident eight years ago.

The witness gave the evidence when the trial of Romario Antonio Clarke, 28, and Rashayne Aneil Blenman, 26, both of Risk Road, Fitts Village continued before the No 3 Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The two accused have denied murdering Walton on August 4, 2014.

The State’s witness said he was at the bus stop near the esplanade waiting on a bus when two men he identified as the accused came and spoke to him.

He said he knew Clarke, alias Mongrel for more than five years and Blenman also known as English, for about a year. The deceased he knew for about five years.

The eyewitness said that night Walton told the two that “they does be pun bare foolishness all the time”. He said he himself told them “they always on vibes”.

But he stated that Walton did not interfere with Clarke nor Blenman.

“It was a talk then. After they walked way, then came back, lock off the fella neck and shoot him.”

When asked by Senior State Prosecutor Neville Watson to explain what he meant, the witness went on: “Romario lock off he neck and English shoot he. Romario give Shayne the gun and tell he ‘shoot him’. I heard explosions  . . . . I hear four or five explosions . . . Mark drop down after running.”

The two accused, he said, then ran off through Piggott’s Road.

“I went and help Mark but he was lifeless,” said the eyewitness who added that the entire incident lasted for around five minutes.

Lawyers for the accused will cross examine him tomorrow before the 12-member jury and Justice Carlisle Greaves.

Two officers who interviewed the accused during investigations into the deadly shooting also gave evidence on Tuesday.

Inspector Winston Goddard said he questioned accused Blenman while Sergeant Christopher Alleyne questioned Clarke after both were told of their rights.

The accused allegedly admitted to police that they were present when the incident occurred. Blenman however said he “did not pull the trigger” and Clarke said “I ain’t shoot”.

Inspector Goddard read Blenman’s statement. In it Blenman said he and Clarke were heading home “Crop Over night” and on reaching Fitts Village they saw a man.

“Romario approach him and poke him in his face and ask him ‘what happen wunna boss looking for me?’” The man replied: “‘It ain’t nothing so . . . ’”

He said he then told Clarke “let we left here”.

“. . . .I start to walk, Romario pull his gun and bust a shot in the air. He then told me he going back for (calls name). . . . He grabbed (the man’s) pocket and (his) eyes was open big. That is when the red fella came out. He said . . . ‘why you don’t try an go long and leff de man’.

“Then I step forward and tell de man ‘he has a gun leff he’. . . . Romario tell Mark ‘step off’. Mark jab Romario and Romario grab him in a headlock and squeeze the trigger . . .”

He told police that he ran from the area leaving the two men in the road. As he ran through a gap he heard three more shots

In a statement taken by Sergeant Alleyne, Clarke said that while walking the road, they saw a man sitting at a bus stop.

He went up to the guy and asked him “If he and he boss looking for me?” and the man replied: “It ain’t nothing so . . .”

He added that as he and the man were speaking, “Mark come out from by he boss and came by the bus stop where we were. . .

“Mark told me that ‘we does come out here and do bare c***’ and I end up telling him ‘we ain’t come out here for you. You better go long’. He say he standing there and he ain’t letting nobody do [the man] anything. Me and Mark end up in a scuffle by the bus stop. [The man] was by the bus stop standing and English was there too . . . and he shoot Mark. The first two shots hit Mark, I ran off”.

He said he ran through a gap.

“I then hear another two shots . . .” the statement said.