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4.56.
Capt. Anderson was with platoon No.5. From the UDC Car Park,
this platoon moved north and eventually towards the old train station. They
were able to enter Lizard Town from a southerly direction but they encountered
heavy and sustained gunfire at the train station. In addition, there were a
number of booby traps hidden in the thick vegetation near the train station. The
soldiers were forced to manoeuvre around these traps.
4.57.
Capt. Anderson estimated that it took his men approximately one
hour to travel a distance of approximately 300 metres because of the booby
traps and the heavy gunfire.
4.58.
The mandate of Capt. Anderson’s company was to control sector 3.
It is worth interjecting here that it was Capt. Anderson’s oral evidence that the
JCF did not actually get into sector 3 until the morning of 25 May. Throughout
the night of 24 May, there was sporadic gunfire from gunmen in sector 3 but the
soldiers returned fire as and when necessary. No.5 platoon took fire from high-
rise buildings in Lizard Town just north of the Edward Seaga football field.
4.59.
Capt. Anderson’s troops were unable to find any of the gunmen
who were shooting at them. He explained to Ms. Deborah Martin:
“They fired and moved; there were buildings between us
and them. No one ever identified who the gunmen were but
some of the gunmen wore blue denims….The resistance
encountered entering Tivoli Gardens was in keeping with
what Intelligence suggested in terms of intensity; but its
duration was less.”
4.60.
When the JDF were in Rasta City, No.4 platoon met “medium
resistance from gunmen there and on high-rise buildings south of Tivoli Gardens.
The platoon responded with controlled gunfire”. It took Capt. Anderson
approximately 2 hours from leaving his vehicle to get into Lizard Town on foot.