Alan Lewin, STAR Writer

Three members of one family were murdered on Wednesday night in the peaceful community of St Simon in Hanover as gunmen went on a rampage.

In the aftermath, the bodies of three men were found dead. They have been identified as Nicholas Spence, aka Bobo, 39; Nerick Dias, aka Buggy 27; and 41-year-old Dalton Haughton, aka Bigga; all from one family.

The three men were murdered as they hung out in the community at a shop owned by Spence's mother, who lived nearby. Spence and Dias lived at the same location where the shop is located, while Haughton lived a little distance away but would at times visit the shop to hang out.

Different views

After the shooting subsided, several community members could be seen congregating at the scene, each offering different views, while detectives from the Lucea and St James police conducted investigations.

Several residents also expressed fear of a reprisal as they thought there had to be a motive for the gruesome killings, a first in the community.

A high-ranking police source reported that this brings the parish murders to 41 since the start of the year.