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Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has confirmed that the mass shooting that left eight people dead on Cherry Tree Lane in Clarendon on Sunday evening was the work of overseas criminals and other individuals currently imprisoned in Jamaica.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force today revised the number of injured to 11. The total number of people shot is 19. So far, only one person has been treated and released from hospital.
In a speech Press Conference On Monday morning, Holness described the killings as an attack and an act of terror against every Jamaican. “We know that individuals overseas were involved and participated in this act. We know that individuals who are currently incarcerated were linked to this act. We know that multiple gangs were linked to this act,” Holness said.
Holness vowed to hold those responsible accountable, saying: “Every gang, every person who assisted in any way, provided weapons or participated in this and personally pulled the trigger, we will find you… We are not going to treat this as another criminal act, we are going to treat this as an act of terror.”
In response to the violence, Holness declared a full-scale “attack” on the gangs involved and any gangs operating in Jamaica.
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“It is not possible in Jamaica that eight people can die in one incident and the State can act as if nothing has happened… It should never happen again in Jamaica,” he declared.
Holness also revealed that the Jamaican government provided Washington with a list of 31 overseas criminals involved in local crimes following his recent visit to the U.S. He noted that cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice and other U.S. law enforcement agencies is continuing, but did not provide further details.
Curfew imposed in parts of Clarendon
Following the tragedy, a 96-hour curfew was imposed in the central and southern areas of Clarendon and the southern and northern areas of St. Catherine because these areas are where gangs often work together.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang provided further insight at the press conference, highlighting the ongoing efforts of security forces in the region. “This incident occurred at a time when security forces were doing a lot of work in these areas. In fact, across all three police services, homicides have decreased significantly,” Dr. Chang said.
He reported that Clarendon had seen a 39 per cent reduction in homicides this year, thanks to the coordinated efforts of security forces. Dr Chang also acknowledged that the community had been traumatised, especially as one child (seven years old) was killed and another (a one-year-old baby) was injured in the attack.
“All security forces, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will be mobilised under the auspices of the MOCA (Main Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency), led by the police forces in the designated areas. They will have the full support of the government,” Dr Chang assured the public.
“We will locate, arrest, disrupt and disrupt criminal gangs. The government’s social support services will also be available in communities associated with Cherry Tree Lane and in areas where criminal gangs are operating to disrupt the lives of our citizens,” he added.
read: Mass shooting in Clarendon, Jamaica leaves 8 dead, several injured
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