A four-year-old infant school pupil was among five people shot and killed after gunmen opened fire on a group of people playing games at a yard in Linstead, south east of here on Sunday night.
Police said that nine people were shot and that Shannon Gordon, a student of Rosemount Primary and Infant School, was among those killed.
‘Nine persons were shot, five persons have so far been confirmed dead. We are here trying to put together the pieces to determine what really triggered such an awful situation. The community of Linstead has been doing pretty well since this year,’ Assistant Commissioner of Police Christopher Phillips, told reporters.
The police say that several men, some reportedly wearing police-style vests, descended on the premises along Commodore main road, shouting ‘police,’ before opening fire on those in the yard.
The police have named the others killed as Mario Sullivan, 42, Jushane Edwards, 19, Iysha Washington, 39, a vendor, and 22-year-old security guard Famous Amos.
.Phillips said that the location where the shootings took place, is not unfamiliar to police, having been visited on multiple occasions in the past due to ‘long-standing issues and challenges’.
The police are working on the theory that last night’s incident might be a continuation of gang conflict, ‘which comes as a surprise to us because this area has been quiet for a while,’ said ACP Phillips, adding ‘unfortunately among the numbers we have a four-year-old who was brutally killed. the community is in shock.’
‘The men parading as law enforcement officers pose a worrying sign,’ said Phillips, adding ‘we have a team of top investigators working to put the pieces together to determine what triggered such an awful incident’.
Jamaica has recorded 522 murders for the period January to October 4, as compared with 883 for the same period, according to figures released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
The figures show a 40.9 per cent decline in murders in the country.