KINGSTON – Jamaica police Monday said the deaths of three people at a political meeting of the main opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) on Sunday were not politically motivated.
Police Commissioner Dr Carl Williams said the incident resulted from a dispute among known persons who were in attendance at the public meeting.
“This incident proves the point that whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself, it will be exploited by criminal elements.
“We are aware that prior to the shooting, there were attempts by other persons at the meeting to quell the dispute,” Williams said in the statement.
Earlier, a senior police officer defended the number of law enforcement officers present at the rally where several others were also injured.
“We had adequate security…we had police officers at all the entry/exit points,” the head of the St James police division, Senior Superintendent Steve McGregor told a local radio station here. Police said they had at least 200 officers on duty at the event.
McGregor said that it would have been “virtually impossible for us to search people coming in” the rally where the JLP was launching its campaign for the February 25 general election.
The JLP meeting came to an abrupt halt when gunshots were fired shortly after 10 p.m. (local time) as JLP leader Andrew Holness addressed thousands of supporters in Sam Sharpe Square in the western city of Montego Bay.
Police said two people were killed at the event and a third died while being treated in hospital.
The police have identified one of the victims as Javin Campbell, 22, a member of a gang from the community of Flankers in the western parish of St. James.
The police said that while Holness was making his presentation, at least five explosions were heard.
Holness was immediately surrounded by police personnel who escorted him off the stage as party officials ended the meeting and urged those in attendance to make their way home as quickly as possible.
Holness, a former prime minister expressed shock at the deaths of the three JLP supporters and the injury of others adding “I am terribly saddened by tonight’s (Sunday) unspeakable incident and my sympathy goes out to the families of those who lost their lives and my prayers are with those who were injured”.
The ruling People’s National Party (PNP) also condemned the incident , describing it as “unfortunate and tragic”.
“We are deeply saddened when any Jamaican is killed or injured. We extended our deepest sympathies to the injured and the families of those killed and wounded. It is doubly alarming in the view of the appeal by Prime Minister and Party President Portia Simpson Miller for peace and calm during this election period,” said the PNP’s campaign spokesperson, Delano Franklyn in a statement early Monday.
The Police Commissioner said investigators have some “very good” leads that they are following and was “confident that this case will be solved.
“I am appealing to anyone who can assist us in the investigation to come forward and do so. Even as we conduct the investigation into this matter, we remain committed to ensuring that the rest of the election campaign period is as peaceful as possible.”
He said he was satisfied that adequate police officers supported by military personnel were deployed to provide security at the meeting. (CMC)
