Residents of Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Petit Valley, where Tafari Charles, 25, was killed by gunmen in a botched home invasion just after midnight on Thursday, say the incident has led to renewed calls for the dead-end street to be walled off from the Diego Martin Highway.

Footage captured by residents showed the suspected gunmen walking along the street which runs near the highway.

According to police, Charles, who was employed at Republic Bank, heard a noise in the yard and opened the door.

The gunmen then forced their way into the house, stole jewellery and shot Charles before escaping.

Residents were first notified of the incident through the community WhatsApp chat after neighbours heard the gunshots.

Several residents, say this is the first time they have ever experienced such violent crime in their quiet street.

“It is a very quiet neighbourhood. We've never had such a tragedy in this street. We’ve had petty thieves or people picking up things from yards but this is shocking and horrible. It's just so heartbreaking. It’s such a young life and just a senseless killing.”

Another resident said, “This has never been an unsafe area. This is actually shocking to me because we never had any problems in this area. This street never had nothing like this before.”

They say the incident has led to renewed conversations about building a wall at the end of the street to prevent access from the highway.

[caption id="attachment_1046987" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The dead-end of Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Petit Valley leading to the Diego Martin Highway, Residents want this section walled off. - Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]

“This is the only street where you could go from Petit Valley and walk down to go to the highway. People who work nearby, when they leave work, they will pass through this street to get to the highway or cross the highway to the main road. So the wall is something that we are going to want now because it’s (become) a thoroughfare.”

“At one time, they were asking residents to contribute (to build the wall). Most of us said yes but one or two people in the street said no, so it was never done. Hopefully they do it now.”

“There had been deliberations, in the past, about putting a wall by the highway. We’ll have to see what happens now,” said another resident.

Residents say the “isolated incident” will not drive them out of the area.

One man, who recently moved there from a gated community as his growing family needed more space, said his wife is uneasy following the shooting.

However, he said the incident will not make them return to a gated community as his family needs the space and “crime could happen anywhere.”

He said the general public should take as many precautions and implement as many deterrents as they can.

“If bandits see a house with dogs, cameras, a security fence etc, they will think twice.”

Another resident echoed similar sentiments and said, “I have my electronic gates and I have my cameras and alarms, systems and so on, all set up, so I do what I ca

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