Jamaica: School student killed in suspected shark attack

A 16-year-old student of William Knibb Memorial High School is suspected to have been killed in a shark attack on Monday while spearfishing off the coast in Falmouth, Trelawny, Jamaica.

The deceased has been identified as Jahmarie Reid, resident of Race Course, Falmouth. As per the reports, his body was recovered headless and with his left arm missing from the sea in the near surroundings of the Falmouth All-Age School the next morning.

The body was recovered by the fishermen from the sea near the fishing village in northwest Jamaica. They shared that they encountered a large shark while they were trying to remove the body of the victim from the waters. The group of fishermen even tried to shoot at the shark and catch him, but they failed to get him.

A large crowd was gathered at the fishing village where the body of the victim lay in a boat, guarded by the police until the arrival of undertakers.

While shedding light on this incident, the President of Falmouth Fisherfolks Benevolent Society, Fritz Christie noted that it was also his first time that he had heard of a deadly shark attack in the Falmouth area.

One of the fishermen stated that he had been fishing for several years, but nothing had ever happened like this in Falmouth before. He has, therefore, advised all the citizens that whenever they go for spearfishing and have a string of fish and sharks start circling, they should let go of the string and give it to him, ensuring their safety and security.

Moreover, after the incident, the parents of Jahmarie Reid, his father, Michael Reid, and his mother, Levern Robinson, went into shock. While mourning the loss of his third child out of seven, she stated his son was a very jovial, loving and good child.

She added that Jahmarie Reid was an adventurous person who had the utmost amount of love for the sea, especially for spearfishing. The mother of the victim continued to say that her son met him while he was leaving to go to the sea.

She asserted that she was not at all worried for his child because spearfishing was something that her son would do on a regular basis. The mother added that she was expecting him to go to the sea and return as he usually used to do, but unfortunately, he did not return.

Also, the Falmouth police are currently conducting a detailed investigation into the matter. After the incident viralled on social media, the citizens extended condolences to the family members of the deceased through their comments on social media accounts.

One person with Facebook handle Jennifer Malcolm commented “My heart is heavy with sorrow for his family. Looks like he is a good youth. Oh life.” Another person commented the following “My sincere condolences goes out to Michael and his mom and the rest of the family. RIP you one.”