Jamaica: 17-year-old boy dies, 3 injured in openfire by gunmen

Kingston, Jamaica: Another murder has been reported in the island, where a 17-year-old boy has been shot dead, while the other three were injured by gunmen in Westmoreland on Thursday night. 

The police authorities have informed that among the injured people, there is a three-year-old girl. 

The incident: 

As per the Corporate Communications Unit – the information arm of the police force, the incident took place around 9:30 pm when gunmen tried to set a house on fire in the region of Morass district in Whithorn. 

The report by the police officers further notes that the house occupants saw the gunmen and immediately raised the alarm to aware the neighbours. 

After which, the gunmen opened fire on the people residing in the house and shot up several areas before fleeing.

Following the open fire, the four individuals were shot and were immediately taken to the hospital, where the 17-year-old was declared dead. 

The condition of the other victims who have been injured is not determined by the police authorities. 

Besides this, the identities of the victims have not been revealed by the police authorities. Although, an investigation has been commenced in the case by the police officers. 

The crime rate in Jamaica: 

The crime rate is speedily increasing in the Caribbean island.

There is a high rise in the murders following which the Jamaican government imposed the State of Emergency in the crime hotspots – St James, Westmoreland, Hanover areas of the Western parishes and St Andrew North, Kingston Western, Kingston Central and Kingston Eastern police divisions in the corporate areas.   

Recently, addressing the increasing crime rate, the Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of National Security – Dr Horace Chang, cited that government would continue to invest strategically in the security response of Jamaica against crime. 

He further added, “That is the commitment of the government to the general public of Jamaica, and the residents in the affected communities, in particular”.