Two men shot and killed in two separate incidents

Numerous persons in the community of Stubbs are angry over the shooting death of Augustus “Hatta” Dickson.

Dickson, 52, also known as “Daddy Janks” and “Spiderman”, was shot in his head last Friday, May 12.

Residents recall hearing two gunshots at around 9 p.m. and when the police were summoned, they found the dreadlocked man, a farmer and mason by profession, dead in a pool of blood on the porch of his home.

When SEARCHLIGHT visited the area on Monday, six of Dickson’s friends sat a few feet away from where the body was discovered by law enforcement officers.

The men, who all refused to give their names for various reasons, seemed extremely distraught over Dickson’s death and expressed anger, frustration and sadness over what they all agreed was a senseless killing.

“He was one of the best man live in Stubbs… you can get anything from that man,” commented a man who lives a few feet away from the deceased.

“That man fraid trouble;

he never a man to make trouble or make problems with people. Is just bare love the man deal with. I don’t see why them have to kill Hatta. Right now, I’m crushed… I’m not even myself,” the man further commented, seemingly struck with mixed emotions.

The dead man’s neighbour said that he has only once before been so devastated by a death. “Two persons I ever feel so messed up about, my grandmother and he”.

Going further, the angry man said that he knew Dickson all his life, “since I’m going Stubbs school and he did live by his mother. He did always use to look out for the youths; he use to do it still to this day. Up to when he died, the man was talking about his family and saying how he love his sister and them. There is no hate in this guy at all. Is help the man help people around here.”

“Me don’t understand why somebody could kill this man. He didn’t deserve that at all. Me, personally, I don’t know what to say, I confused,” the man, sitting and looking at the deceased man’s house, commented to a SEARCHLIGHT journalist.

A Rastafarian man, who said that he was 45 years old and knew Dickson all his life, described the dead man as a villager who was always “cool and very loving.

“Nobody should have done that to he. He was a very good guy,” said the Rasta man, who noted that although Dickson had one eye, that did not deter him from living life the best he could.

Dickson’s closest neighbour said that he thinks that anybody who knew Dickson is angry about what happened to him.

“We seeking justice for the man, because the kind of person the man be, he nah supposed to go down just like that. They come and kill the man in he place just like a dog,” said the neighbour.

He said that he and Dickson were very close and would speak to one another numerous times in a day.

“We live close; we real up together and all them years the man never get in confusion with nobody at all, so I don’t know who would want to do this. This is a sad moment for everybody. I can’t believe it. I’m so confused,” said the neighbour.

He recalled hearing two gunshots at around 9 p.m., but noted that he never thought that Dickson was at the end of them, as gunshots in the area is nothing new, as a police officer who lives nearby would sometimes discharge his weapon in the area for whatever reason.

“He was everybody favourite. People don’t know what going on. I can’t sleep… is like I hearing the gunshots in my ears,” said the angry man.

He noted that the area has one street light and thinks that whoever did the crime knows the area very well and would have known that the area is deserted after a certain time.

It was revealed that Dickson would hardly leave home, except to help persons with odd jobs, as he was a mason.

While SEARCHLIGHT was chatting with Dickson’s friends, the dead man’s dogs began howling, while looking at the area where the body was found.

“Look at that,” said one of the men, “the dogs acting up, real strange. The dogs them feel it too.”

The men said that Dickson was one of the first men to inhabit the area and his home was like a safe haven for persons in Stubbs, where they could have gone to get a meal, a drink or even sleep.

“Hatta did love to sing and dance and enjoy heself. He would sing and dance whole day, once you playing reggae music he won’t leave until that music turn off,” one of the men offered.

Another neighbour told SEARCHLIGHT that Dickson was having some issues with two persons who were renting the lower part of his wall structure. The man said that Dickson had told him that the two, a policeman and his girlfriend, were not paying the rent and he wanted them out of the house.

A police officer, who was identified as PC Smart, and his girlfriend were detained for 48 hours and then released by the investigating team. They have since moved out of Dickson’s home and relocated to another rented apartment in the area.

On Monday, Commissioner of Police (COP) Renold Hadaway confirmed during a television interview that a police officer and his girlfriend had been taken up on certain information and the police have conducted investigations and have gone as far as they could go with the couple at this point.

Commissioner Hadaway stressed that investigations are still ongoing and no disciplinary action has been taken against the police constable, as he has not been charged with a crime.

“We still looking into the matter,” said the COP.

Dickson’s murder is the 11th committed here for the year.