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School Warden Murdered
posted (September 3, 2012)
School started today but Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist was without its warden, Dana Augustus - and that's because she was killed on Saturday morning.

Augustus is one of two women were shot in the same area on the City.

Both shootings happened off Vernon Street - about half a mile apart.

But the second shooting was fatal - and has the appearances of an execution. But why would anyone want to kill a 41 year old school warden and mother of seven?

That's what Monica Bodden tried to find out today:..

Monica Bodden reporting
41 year old Dana Augustus was shot inside her home - here at number 19 Mayflower Street - around midnight on Friday.

The mother of 7 - was inside with her 2 daughters - when she heard someone calling her name, shortly after, her home was sprayed with bullets.

Some say, they heard up to 10 shots.

Dana Augustus was shot 3 times. She collapsed on her kitchen floor in front of her refrigerator.

The gunman seemed to have fired the shots from inside her unfenced yard towards the front portion on the left side of her house.

Some of the bullets exited through the back window of the house - shattering the glass.

Augustus who was still showing signs of life was rushed to the KHMH - But she was pronounced then just minutes after.

Sister of Deceased
"About after 11, we came in. My niece and my daughter were outside, they say they were going to sleep - so she went upstairs and lock the door and I come to the back. Then about 15 minutes after we heard about 10 gunshots. I got up and look through my window but didn't see anyone and I didn't hear anything."

"I went to lie down and after that I heard someone crying. I told my daughter that it sounded like someone is crying outside. When she looks out she saw that it was my niece crying. When I look through the window I saw police out here already."

"We tried to go upstairs and I ask the police we can go up and they said no because they are bringing the lady from up there. I ask what lady and they say the lady from there who got shot up. I ask if it was my sister and they said yes. When they brought her down - 4 police were holding her and she was full of blood. Her head went backwards and when she arrives at the hospital they pronounce her dead on arrival."

Dana was shot three times - once to her stomach, once to her breast and once to her hand.

Less than an hour before her murder, 26 year old Lucretia Myvett - another woman- was shot in the same vicinity.

Myvett who is a resident of Sibun Street was sitting on the side walk at the corner of Sibun and Vernon Streets along with her mother and sister - a gun man rode by on bicycle and fired several shots in their direction - hitting Myvett in the shoulder blade.

Sister of Deceased
"A little after 7 when we came from the motorcade all of us were out here on the step. She told my daughter that she was going to sleep, then she went upstairs and after that there was a gunshot by the lane, so went outside and came back in and then went straight upstairs. She didn't go because she was sleeping. We went out and came back and about 15 minutes after we heard gunshots again by the lane. When we reach it was inside of the house the gunshots."

Today at a police press conference, Police Press Officer Fitzroy Yearwood told the media that police believe the two shooting on Friday night may have been related.

Fitzroy Yearwood - Police Press Officer
"In the early hours of Saturday 1st of September where Ms. Dana Augustus, 41 years old school Warden loss her life. Our investigations so far have led us to believe that a shooting incident that took place earlier that same night may have been related hence causing Dana to lose her life. Nevertheless when Ms. Augustus was being transported to the KHMH she was seeing suffering from a gunshot wound to her abdomen. She was undergoing treatment when she succumbs to her injury."

"The earlier shooting on Friday 31st August is where one Lucretia Myvett was seeing suffering from a gunshot wound to the center of her upper back. Initial investigations reveal that Mvette was socializing with her mother and sisters at the corner of Vernon and Sibun Streets when a gun man fired several shots in their direction causing her injury. She was transported to the KHMH where she was listed in a stable condition."

"We do not want to say that these females were in any gang. But because of her association - people that you associate yourself with to rivalry gangs."

But to her family and friend, Dana Augustus was no trouble maker - instead she was well loved by a wide community.

Augustus who is a school warden, has been working at the Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist School for the past 13 years.

She was getting prepared to take part in the Carnival Road march this Saturday - with her carnival group Mother Nature. Today her costume was hanged on the line at her Carnival camp - as the member mourned her sudden death.

Sister of Deceased
"All she is into is carnival and dance."

Reporter
"She was in a group?"

Sister of Deceased
"Yes Mother Nature mas band. She already was preparing for king and queen. She already made her costume; she told me that she was ready for the carnival."

Reporter
"She didn't have problem with anybody?"

Sister of Deceased
"No problem with anyone. She and everybody are friends. Nobody have issues with anyone around here."

Police say that their investigation has stalled because persons in the area have not been cooperating with investigators. We note that there is a long history of animosity between Mayflower street residents and various units of the Police Department.

According to our records, this is not the first time Lucrecia Myvette was shot - in 2008 a shooter appeared in the same area of Friday's shooting - and she had to jump in the drain to escape the gunman, who still shot her in the hand.

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