Murder tally hits 500 as at Sunday
Published:Monday | May 7, 2018 | 12:00 AMSyranno Baines/Gleaner Writer
Sunday's fatal shooting of 56-year-old Neville Salmon of Annotto Bay, St Mary, and 27-year-old Obrian Hartey of Norwood, St James, has pushed Jamaica's murder tally to at least 500 since the start of the year.
According to the latest statistics compiled by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), 498 persons were killed between January 1 and May 5 of this year, a 5.3 per cent increase, when compared with the same period last year with 473 murders.
Despite a 150 per cent hike in its murder rate, the eastern parish of Portland remains the nation's least murderous, with five homicides since the start of the year compared with two over the corresponding period last year. This, is in stark contrast to the St Andrew South Police Division, which has recorded 69 murders this year when to compared to 28 at this time last year, a 141 per cent increase.