KINGSTON, Jamaica, Oct 22, CMC -A father and son were among five people killed while watching a football game in Pleasant Heights, Rockfort in Kingston on Monday night as the authorities announced a 48 hour curfew in the area.
Those killed have been identified as Ortavia Austin, 51, his 29 year-old son, Okero Austin; 32-year-old Odane Josephs, otherwise called Bones, and 38-year-old Rosrick Tomas, otherwise called Teniel.
“Seven persons were shot and five people were killed,” said Superintendent Tommielee Chambers, who is in charge of the Kingston Eastern division, adding that the shooting happened sometime after 8.00 pm (local time) at a “friendly football match”.
The number of injured persons remains unclear. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Donovan Graham, said several people had been rushed to hospital.
This is the latest mass killings in Jamaica in a three month period. In August eight people were killed when gunmen fired upon persons at a birthday party.
The parliamentary representative for the area, Phillip Paulwell, has described the murders as “senseless” and urged witnesses to come forward and assist the police.
“I am deeply shocked and saddened by this senseless act of terror. This cowardly attack has claimed lives and shattered the peace of Rockfort. My thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones …and those who are now fighting for their lives. No one should live in fear, and this kind of brutality has no place in our society.”
The opposition legislator said he is calling on anyone who saw or heard anything to come forward and assist the police in their investigation, adding “it is only by working together that we can bring those responsible to justice and restore peace to our streets”.
Paulwell said he has since spoken to the National Security, Dr. Horace Chang, calling for an immediate response from the security forces to ensure a swift apprehension of those responsible.
“I will be pushing for a stronger security presence in Rockfort and surrounding areas. We need to reclaim our communities from the grip of fear and violence, and we cannot do it without the help of every resident, leader, and organisation,” Paulwell said.
Pleasant Heights, formerly known as Wareika Hills, has a violent past, particularly driven by deadly gang feuds, but Superintendent Chambers said it is too early to determine whether this latest incident is linked to a gang warfare.
A 48-hour curfew has since been imposed in the Pleasant Heights and Oliver Road sections of Rockfort, Kingston following the shootings.
The curfew, which began at 8:00 pm (local time) on Monday night will remain in effect until 8:00 pm on Wednesday, October 23.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said that for the period January 1 to October 20th this year, there have been 918 murders as compared with 1,137 for the same perod last year.
CMC/2024