Sheer disbelief! - Brother of Rameish says he spoke with him minutes before he was killed

Spirits dropped, hearts palpitated, and shops were forced to close earlier than usual in Logwood, St Thomas, on Thursday night following the shooting death of Jamaica Labour Party activist Rameish Simpson at the gateway to his home in the community.

Simpson's wife was also shot and injured in the incident.

John, his older brother, who told The Gleaner yesterday that he was still in disbelief that his sibling was dead, revealed that he had spoken with him before the terrible incident.

"Him and him wife normally go in round the same time every night. Him usually pick her up from the supermarket, where she works as a cashier, and then the two a dem go in," he said.

John, who lives in the same community, recounted that Thursday night, while his brother and sister-in-law were making their way home, they passed him on the way and stopped to greet him.

"Within the next 10 minutes I got a call that them shoot him up and that the wife get a shot and that dem set the car on fire, too," he said.

John said that his brother was about 42 years old and died leaving 10 children, the youngest of whom was only a few months old.

INCIDENT REPORT

It is reported that about 9 p.m. on Thursday, Simpson and his wife had just reached home when he stepped out of his vehicle to open the gate.

He was allegedly attacked and shot multiple times and died on the spot.

His wife was later shot and injured after she ran from the vehicle.

Reports are that the men set the vehicle on fire before fleeing the scene.

Simpson made local news in 2015 after he and his cousin were arrested and charged with illegal possession of firearm and ammunition following reports from the police that they had removed items from a van they had drove into the sea after trying to elude the police.

Both men were offered bail and had restrictions imposed on their movements.