FOLLOWING Wednesday’s broad daylight murder of 43-year-old taxi operator Mark Perry in Independence, Portmore, St Catherine, president of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS) Egeton Newman has appealed to operators, taxi drivers in particular, to exercise vigilance while on the job.

Newman told the Jamaica Observer that Wednesday’s murder pushed to 17 the number of taxi operators who have been shot and injured, killed or abducted since the start of 2022.

Based on a police report, the Observer understands that around 9:15 am on Wednesday, Perry was at the intersection of Passagefort Drive and Independence City when armed men, travelling on a motorcycle, pulled up to him. The pillion reportedly hopped off the motorcycle and opened fire, hitting Perry. The men escaped and Perry was pronounced dead at hospital.

Newman said incidents of violence against taxi operators “is getting from bad to worst”.

“The taxi men in Portmore are upset about it. We have told them not to take any action since they don’t know what caused the shooting, but it is really a bad day for taxi operators.

“All I can say to them is watch your space. There are some operators who are not angel-like and they are hard to speak to. What I am saying to transport operators, on a whole, is to observe who they are carrying and their surroundings. Don’t just rush for passengers, but look out for what is happening around you. If you see a bike man riding up, watch yourself. It is very hard to secure the public transport sector. I encourage them not to engage in carrying weapons because the police will come after you,” he said.

Newman also urged the Government to provide proper parking facilities for taxi operators islandwide, possibly with police posts, as a security measure.

“Government should find parking facilities for the island’s public transport operators, especially taxi men. If we had a good park in Portmore where those taxi men can park, with even a police post, things like this probably wouldn’t happen,” he said.

Meanwhile, a man, who witnessed the murder while driving to work, said he smelled death in the air.

“I was actually at the stoplight when I saw some men spraying their guns in the direction of some guys. I couldn’t even move my car because my brain froze. It felt like I was on a battlefield. I didn’t know if I was to press gas or press brakes. I was just shocked by what happened. From I saw that it felt as if a blood vessel would burst in my head. I smelled death in the air. I never knew I would have seen this type of lawlessness for myself. I want Jamaicans to rise up because too many guns are in Jamaica,” the man told the Observer.