Residents of Crescent Road in the Two Mile area of St Andrew are fuming mad at the police for what they say was the display of unprofessional and spiteful behaviour on Monday after a community mural dedicated to a deceased area don was shot up.

Claims made by the residents are that the lawmen maliciously destroyed a small bar in the community in addition to pumping bullets into the painting done in memory of Dave 'Machine Man' Sterling, former area leader and head of the Rat Bat gang.

Dead man

"Di dead man can't rest in peace!" residents remarked continually when The Star visited the area yesterday.

"Di boss dead from last year and all now de police still a tek set, look ya, two shot dem buss inna him face," one resident said pointing to what appeared to be patched-out holes in the painting. "We patch dem out 'cause wi neva tink de media did a come 'cause we a call dem from Monday morning when it happened and we neva see nobody."

Shot buss

A female resident said the incident happened sometime before 6 a.m. on Monday. "Mi come in 'bout 5:20 a.m. and go in mi house and mi hear like some shot buss a likkle while after that," she said. "When mi look out mi see de police dem outta de road. Mi try fi go look a wha a gwaan but de police dem run mi back in. Mi go back out there after the crowd show up though and dat's when mi see dat a de painting dem shoot up and mash down de likkle bar."

She said the police also picked up several persons during the operation yesterday, but most had been released.

Another resident alleged that a policeman confiscated a big yellow radio along with some Red Bull beverages during the incident yesterday.

Efforts to get a comment from the police Mobile Reserve, who were said to have carried out the operation, were unsuccessful up to press time yesterday.

One source from the St Andrew South police division, however, said that while no official report of any sorts were made to them, they have heard rumours of the incident. The source also disclosed that a police operation was, in fact, carried out in the Crescent Road area by a police department.

Machine Man was shot dead last October after he allegedly pointed a firearm at lawmen.