Daylight shooting on Constant Spring Road wounds two on first day of school
Two people were shot and injured along Constant Spring Road on Monday, the first day of the new school year, despite heightened police presence across St Andrew North.
Gunfire on Constant Spring Road rattles commuters as schools reopen
Two people were shot and injured along Constant Spring Road in Kingston on Monday morning — the first day of the new school year — in what the commander of the St Andrew North Police Division has called a "very brazen" attack.
Jamaica-star.com reports that Superintendent Randy Sweeney described the incident as particularly alarming given that additional officers had been deployed division-wide to manage the school reopening. "That specific intersection, where the shooting started, we had police right at that location earlier in the morning," Sweeney said.
Videos circulating on social media showed damage to several vehicles along the busy thoroughfare, with the incident reportedly unfolding over a stretch of several metres. The conditions of the two injured persons were not disclosed.
Sweeney said investigators remain in the early stages of the inquiry but believe the attack was deliberate. "Although it is early stage, and the intent has not been ascertained as yet, nonetheless, we believe that this shooting was indeed targeted, but investigation is ongoing," he said. He added that police are still open to receiving further information from the public.
The shooting presents a challenge to what authorities have described as a sustained downward trend in serious crime. Jamaica recorded 368 murders through the end of August, with 37 killings in that month alone. Police have also reported that shootings are down 24 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Sweeney said the division would not alter its approach in response to Monday's incident. "We'll continue to utilise the strategies that we have been embarking on since the start of the year, and even before, where we are primarily focused on deterrent strategies, whereby we identify the key drivers of crime and focus our attention and resources on them," he said. Those measures, he noted, include both intelligence-led and community-based policing.
The commander emphasised the importance of a collaborative model. "This is imperative because it harnesses that collaborative approach to crime-fighting, helping to build trust and confidence," Sweeney said. "It's a stakeholder relationship approach to crime-fighting."
He expressed confidence that the overall trend would hold. "By the grace of God, we will continue to see the downward trend in crime, because at the end of the day we're talking about saving the lives of our fellow citizens," he added.
Source: Google News JM — Crime