IRIE FM

The St. Andrew South Police are following several leads in relation to the double murder in Balcombe Drive Kingston 11 last evening.

One of the deceased has been identified as 57-year-old Andrew Berry of Bay Farm Road, Kingston 11.

The name of the other has not been released.

Head of the St. Andrew South Police, Senior Superintendent Damion Manderson said gunmen pounced upon a group of people at a location in the community and opened gunfire hitting them.

The wounded persons were taken to hospital where the two men were pronounced dead and a woman admitted for treatment.

He said the incident is unfortunate, because the police have been working to dismantle gangs in the community for sometime.

He said the incident is believed to be linked to an incident which happened two to three years ago.

Jamaica is on course to recover 88 per cent of its hotel-room capacity by December, despite delays in insurance payments and supply-chain challenges following Hurricane Melissa.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said the figure could have been much higher, if insurance pay-outs were following the pace of the sector’s recovery.

Mr. Bartlett said the country was expected to enter the winter tourist season with approximately 3,000 hotel rooms still out of operation.

He commended stakeholders in the tourism industry such as the Jamaica Tourist Board, small and medium players, and attractions, for contributing to the sector’s recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bartlett criticized insurance companies for not moving swiftly to make insurance pay-outs.

He said this will further delay the recovery of the sector’s full hotel-room capacity to about may 2027.

He was speaking at a Jamaica Labour Party area council four meeting yesterday.

The St. Andrew South Police say a number of individuals named as persons of interest in relation to Friday’s triple murder and arson attack along Kidd Lane in St. Andrew have indicated a willingness to turn themselves in.

Two of the men are in custody.

This was revealed by Head of the St. Andrew South Police, Senior Superintendent Damion Manderson during a tour of the community today.

The St. Andrew South police theorize that the triple murder and arson attack in Kidd Lane on Friday stemmed from an intergang conflict.

SSP Manderson said there has been increased police presence since the attack which left two women and a child dead.

According to SSP Manderson the conflict is among young men who grew up together.

SSP Manderson is calling on the other 9 men to turn themselves in.

He lauded the residents in the area for cooperating with the police which he said is not by chance.

Government Senator Abka Fitz-Henley says Friday’s triple murder and arson along Kidd Lane in St. Andrew should be condemned by all well-thinking Jamaicans.

The charred remains believed to be those of one-year-old Khael Daley and his mother, 30-year-old Lashea Ellis, were found after a premises was set on fire.

The body of another woman, 39-year-old Kimesha Gibson, was found with what appeared to be gunshot wounds.

Senator Fitz-Henley says the attack is a reminder of the work needed to rid society of violent criminals through lawful means.

The St. Elizabeth police have imposed curfews across eight communities to prevent reprisal attacks, following a double murder on Saturday night.

The men were shot and killed in Luana. One of the deceased has been identified as Shadrick Watson.

The curfew announced yesterday by Head of the St. Elizabeth police, Superintendent Coleridge Minto, took effect at 6 o’clock last evening and is scheduled to end at 6 PM tomorrow.

Superintendent Minto said the measure is aimed at preventing further bloodshed.

The eight communities affected by the curfew are Hodges Land, Luana, Speculation, Cambridge, Spring Park, Brompton, Fyffes Pen and Crawford.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding says the person or persons responsible for the triple murder and arson attack along Kidd Lane in St. Andrew must be brought to justice, as such monstrous behaviour cannot be allowed to continue.

The deceased have been identified as 30-year-old Lashea Ellis and her one-year-old son Khael Daley, as well as 39-year-old Kimesha Gibson, otherwise called “Munchie”.

Reports are that the main suspect in relation to the attack is now in police custody.

While acknowledging the progress in bringing down the country’s murder rate, Mr. Golding says this incident indicates Jamaica still has a long way to go.

Advocacy group Hear the Children’s Cry (HTCC) is calling for the death penalty to be instituted in cases where children are deliberately killed.

The call follows Friday’s triple murder and arson attack along Kidd Lane in Kingston, during which one-year-old Khael Daley was killed.

The charred remains, believed to be those of little Khael and his mother, 30-year-old Lashea Ellis, were found after a premises was set on fire.

The body of another woman, 39-year-old Kimesha Gibson, was found with what appeared to be gunshot wounds.

In a statement, HTCC Board member Nigel Cooper condemned the brutal killings.

He called on the security forces to use all resources available to find those responsible.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding says the Government is tone deaf and not listening to the people following recent developments surrounding the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA).

Last week, the Government announced that it will be spending more than $115 million annually to rent the Digicel building in Downtown, Kingston, which will be NaRRA’s new headquarters.

However, following public backlash, the Government retracted the statement, noting that the lease agreement will be reviewed.

Speaking on yesterday’s episode of ‘Sunday Reasoning with Mark’, Mr. Golding said the developments have again exposed the Government’s poor decision-making.

He said the outrage by the public is warranted, noting that NaRRA is supposed to be helping residents and not spending so many resources on its overheads.

Mr. Golding said he does not believe enough effort was put into finding a location for NaRRA or utilising public assets.

The main suspect in relation to Friday’s triple murder and arson attack in Kidd Lane, Kingston is in police custody.

The deceased have been identified as 30-year-old Lashea Ellis and her 1 year old son Khael Dailey,  as well as 39-year-old Kimesha Gibson otherwise called “Munchie”.

The incident occurred at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Friday.

Reports are that residents heard explosions in the community and alerted the police.

Officers who responded discovered Gibson’s body with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds at the rear of the premises.

They also observed that a section of the premises was engulfed in flames and alerted the fire brigade.

During cooling down operations, the charred remains believed to be that of Ellis and her son were found.

Speaking with Irie Fm news this morning, commander for the St. Andrew South Police, Senior Superintendent Damion Manderson said the police are following several leads to apprehend the other perpetrators involved in the attack.

SSP Manderson is appealing to the other individuals being sought by the police to turn themselves in.

The police yesterday listed 11 men as persons of interest in connection with investigations into the triple murder, as well as ongoing gang related violence in the Kidd Lane and Bowens Road communities.

National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang has warned that the security forces will not relent in pursuing those responsible for the deadly shooting and arson attack in Kidd Lane on Friday.

Two women and an infant boy died in the incident.

The minister described the incident as a heinous and a cowardly act.

Dr. Chang said the government condemns in the strongest possible terms the brutal attack on innocent and vulnerable family members.

Dr. Chang stated that the killing of two women and an infant, coupled with the deliberate burning of a home, is utterly reprehensible.

He assured that criminal gangs will not be permitted to terrorise communities or hold citizens hostage through fear and violence.

Dr. Chang noted that the attack comes amid escalating intra-gang conflict in Kidd Lane and Bowens road following successful police operations that have disrupted criminal networks in the communities.

He said those responsible will be brought before the courts.

Meanwhile, the security minister further warned that those directing criminal activities from overseas must not believe they are beyond the reach of Jamaican law enforcement.

He said the government will continue to work with international partners to identify, locate and pursue all those involved, wherever they are.

Dr. Chang also urged residents to cooperate with the police and provide any information that could assist the investigations.