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A woman and her 11 year-old son were shot execution-style in Rose Heights, St James late Monday night, pushing the number of deaths in the parish to seven since last Friday in a deadly game of tit-for-tat.

Four people have been killed in Rose Heights in the past three days and some residents have resorted to mounting roadblocks at night, afraid that they will be victims of drive-by shootings or other acts of reprisal.

Paulette Morris and her son Jevaughn, cops and neighbours said yesterday, were likely killed in retaliation for a double murder in the Liliput area of the parish last Friday. Their deaths pushed the parish's murder tally up to 61 since the start of the year, more than twice the 30 committed for the corresponding period last year.

There have been 561 murders across the island since the year began.

The bodies of the 34 year-old supermarket attendant and her young son were found along a dirt track in an open lot in their community yesterday morning. They had both been shot in the back of the head.

Their neighbours had heard explosions from about 10:00 pm Monday; the bodies were found at about 6:30 am yesterday.

Community members speculated that Morris, who worked at a supermarket in Mt Salem, went to pick up Jevaughn at his grandmother's home and they were on their way back home when they were attacked.

The Constabulary Communication Network liaison officer for St James Camille Tracy said investigators believe the murder of the mother and her child is linked to last Friday night's slaying of a 21 year-old construction worker from Liliput, Omelio 'Bum Bum' James, and Damion 'Dawdy' Walker, a 24 year-old from Railway Lane in Montego Bay.

The men were found dead, last Saturday morning, along a marl road in Liliput.

Lawmen suspect that Morris' brother, who is now hospitalised under police guard after being shot and injured Saturday night, may have information about the murders of James and Walker. In addition, the police said, he is also suspected of being involved in gun-related crimes that have been committed in Rose Heights.

There are also unconfirmed reports that the upsurge in violence may be linked to a gang feud between members of the 41 section of Rose Heights and their competitors.

Tensions ran high in the community yesterday and as lawmen combed the area for suspects, craft vendor Millicent McDonald - the mother of one of the men being sought - was slapped with assault charges and taken into custody.

According to the police, they received information that a wanted man was at McDonald's house but when they showed up the doors were locked. After an hour-and-a-half of getting no response from the person(s) inside, the cops forced their way in. They found McDonald inside.

The police said she resisted their attempts to question her about her son's whereabouts and while being escorted to the police station for further questioning she tussled with cops, assaulting two of them in the process.