Police listened helplessly as gunshots rang out in Tivoli Gardens, west Kingston, for more than two hours on Sunday, following the burial of Christopher 'Nunu Puss' Miller.

The Denham Town police could only listen as the sounds of the gunshots punctuated the atmosphere, forcing motorists to divert from the area.

Bullet-riddled body

Miller, a 'very influential' resident of west Kingston, was known to have 'donned' a section of the community, before his bullet-riddled body was found on August 31 on Goshen Lodge in St Catherine. Before his death, he topped the police's most-wanted list in 2005, following the slaying of traffic cop, Inspector Lascelles Walsh on May 4 of that year.

On Sunday, residents and other well-wishers flocked the streets, some hoping to get a final glimpse of 'Nunu Puss'. The funeral activities went well after 6 p.m., the legal cut-off time, but that was the least in terms of the illegal activities. Shortly after the burial, there was a continuous barrage of shot, just metres from the police station.

Fired shots in salute

"After they went back to their enclaves, they fired shots in salute," Deputy Superintendent Hugh Bish of the Denham Town police told THE STAR.

"From what I heard it wasn't just some shots, it was a barrage of shots," Assistant Commissioner Les Green, said about the extended period of gunfire.

Asked why the police never entered the community to find the gunmen or quell the gunfire, ACP Green said the police were simply unable to respond. "In some cases like that we are hampered, and sometimes we just don't have the resources to react," he said, adding that discussions pertaining to such incidents have been brought to the attention of the Police High Command. "It has already been discussed with the high command as we aim to provide more contingency at these events," he noted.

Casket was paraded

Before he was taken to his final resting place, Nunu Puss' casket was paraded throughout Tivoli and sections of Denham Town, to the sounds of a marching band. Unlike what usually happens at most funerals, many persons seemed jovial and even danced and sang, while vehicles travelling with the crowd pumped some of the latest dancehall hits.

After a long parade, Miller was buried in a section of the May Pen Cemetery known as 'Heroes Park' or 'Little Dovecot' - which is reserved for well-respected members of west Kingston.

The police are yet to establish a motive in Miller's murder.