Man killed, brother injured in shooting after leaving wake

Two brothers were shot, one fatally, on Friday morning when they were attacked by gunmen after leaving a nine night in Iron River, St Andrew.

When investigators reached the blood-soaked scene, more than 20 spent casings and bullet fragments were spread across the roadway, where the injured men were found.

The deceased has been identified as 32-year-old Tafari Hylton, otherwise called ‘Reds’, a construction worker of a Slipe Road address in Kingston 5.

The injured brother remains hospitalised.

The Gleaner understands that Hylton is originally from a rural community in St Andrew, but had relocated to Kingston 5.

Reports are that about 1 a.m., both men left the wake in Iron River and were driving motorcycles along the roadway when explosions were heard.

The police were summoned and upon their arrival, they discovered Hylton lying on the ground with gunshot wounds to the head.

A resident told The Gleaner that the community is on tenterhooks as murders and shootings have become too frequent.

“You see because up here so is in the bush and the station is so far away, the crime come in like it have we under bondage. The nine night weh a gwan is fi a youth weh eat some food and feel bad and dead suddenly, so we never did a expect murder fi follow it,” a member of the community said.

The residents are hoping that there will not be a reprisal for the latest attack.

Detectives assigned to the Constant Spring Criminal Investigation Branch are probing the murder and shooting.

The latest crime statistics released by the police showed murders for 2022 in the St Andrew North Police Division on par with last year.

As at December 12, the division recorded 56 murders, the same as 2021, for the period under review.

Shootings, break-ins and injured person reports have increased, while rape and robberies are down in the division.

The national murder tally stood at 1,442 on Monday, a 2.6 per cent year-on-year increase.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com