According to the Jamaica Observer:THE main suspect in the shooting of Voicemail artiste O'Neil Edwards, was found dead in the Chancery Hall community this afternoon, Police said the unidentified man managed to escape a dragnet set up to nab him several hours earlier.
Edwards' cellular phone was found in the dead man's possession. The body was clad in green short pants, white T-shirt and blue slippers and was found on Lady Hamilton Close with several gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile a second suspect was picked up by the Manchester Police in that parish last night and is being transported to Kingston where he will be questioned by senior homicide investigators.
Edwards was attacked and shot several times as he attempted to enter his home at Belloc Avenue in the middle class community of Duhaney Park early Monday morning.
He condition is still critical and he remains hospitalised.
Source
I am glad that there are suspects in the case but as the saying goes, "Dead men tell no tales." To me the article is a bit vague. It says he was found shot by police who basically were hunting him down. So did the police shoot him????
And as for the Observer, their cartoon of the day is drawing some controversy-to the point where comments have been deactivated. Which to me is funny as most of the 30 comments were in support of the cartoon. It portrayed a Dancehall artist in a studio promoting gun violence and then shows said artist laying in the street with gunshot wounds to the chest. The issue of violent lyrics and crime is not a new one, this is a debate that has been brewing for decades. This week two artists (Oneil and Mad Cobra) on different ends of the Dancehall spectrum have been shot. Now Mad Cobra definitely promotes gun violence in his music so some feel that the cartoon is geared towards artists like him. Oneils reps feel that the cartoon is "insensitive", after all he mostly sing about girls and partying and enjoying life-not shooting down the next guy.And I don't know if I should call it irony or what but the same paper is reporting on Voicemail members talking about the insensitive cartoon, only to have said carton on their site right next to that comment
Personally, I feel the cartoon was in bad taste. We all know the issue at hand, like I said its not a new one. There are many people who have never listened to Voicemail and now associate Oneil with violent Dancehall. Seriously. Instead of going on YouTube and checking out the music, people are going on various forums and just spewing more hate and fueling the cycle.
So who has the right to freedom of speech??? The media, who can turn on and turn off comments at will, who can determine what and how much to put or leave out of stories??? the entertainers who are talking about the life they lived, live and want to live???? or regular folks like you and me that just want to comment on a story cause we can?????
Anyways I hope Oneil pulls through, and Mad Cobra too. He is a human being like you and me.
