A group of men entered the crowd and opened fire on participants of a friendly soccer match in the suburbs of Jamaica's capital, Kingston, local media reported. As a result of the tragic event, five people died and two were injured. The police shot and killed one of the alleged attackers.
The attack took place on Monday evening in the Pleasant Heights neighborhood of Rockfort in the eastern part of the Kingston metropolitan area. There have been brutal gang clashes in this district before, the Gleaner reported.
Chief Inspector Tommie-Lee Chambers of the local police explained that the shooting took place during a friendly football tournament organized in the district, when the winning team was waiting for the official announcement of the results.
– While they were there having fun, a group of men entered the crowd and opened fire on the participants, hitting seven people. Five died and two remain in hospital, but their condition is not serious, said a policewoman quoted by the Jamaica Observer.
Introduction of a curfew
After the attack, the police imposed a two-day curfew in Rockfort, de facto closing the town while they searched for the perpetrators. One suspect was shot dead as part of this operation on Tuesday morning, said Chief Inspector Chambers.
Security services intervention in JamaicaTwitter/JamaicaConstab
Jamaica is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Last year, it was ranked second in the ranking of countries with the highest homicide rates in the Latin America and Caribbean region, compiled by Insight Crime.
Jamaica recorded 60.9 homicides per 100,000. inhabitants. There were more only in the small island country of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Main photo source: Twitter/JamaicaConstab