Gunshots in August Town, St Andrew, on Saturday afternoon ruined a planned peace meeting which was almost under way, forcing the organisers to reschedule.

The peacemaking effort, which was slated to begin at 3:30 p.m., was cut short as thugs fired several rounds of ammunition, reportedly in 'salute' of Mark Hamilton, a resident of Goldsmith Villa who was killed during a shoot-out with the police.

This forced those who had already gathered to take precautions.

Consequently, the initiative was rescheduled to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the August Town Community Centre.

The meeting was to hear the voices of residents from five rival communities. It would discuss possible solutions to the violence which has been disturbing the volatile community.

Over the last couple of weeks, the community has been under siege, as gang violence continues to claim the lives of several persons.

Efforts to contact president of the August Town Citizens' Association, Kenneth Wilson, were unsuccessful as his phone went unanswered on several occasions.