‘It could have been worse’

Eight people were hit early yesterday morning as gunshots rang out during a wake held in Back Pastures, Point Hill in St Catherine to mourn the passing of the grandmother of reggae entertainer Christopher Martin.

As the dust settled after two gunmen opened fire on the gathering, one of the eight victims lay dead and the others were rushed to hospital.

The attack has left the usually peaceful rural community in shock and fear.

Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen, after an initial assault, reloaded their firearms and resumed their attack. Among the victims was 34-year-old Oniel Spencer, who escaped the first round of shooting but was killed in the second assault after emerging from his hiding place.

Spencer’s death has left a void in his family, particularly for his partner and their four children, the youngest of whom is just 10 months old.

“He is the provider for us,” said the mother of his children, visibly holding back tears.

“It will be difficult for us, especially his eight-year-old son, who was always with his father. I just don’t know what to say.”

Martin expressed heartbreak over the tragedy on Instagram shortly after reports of the incident began circulating and condemned the violence that overshadowed preparations for his grandmother’s funeral scheduled for today.

“My heart is heavy this morning as I reflect on the tragic events that occurred at my beloved grandmother’s wake,” Martin wrote. “It’s devastating to see violence cast a shadow over what should have been a moment of peace and remembrance.”

Family devastated

Martin described his late grandmother as a woman of deep faith who taught him the meaning of love and community, making the senseless attack even more painful.

A family member of Martin’s also shared the family’s devastation.

“This is a peaceful community. We’re not used to this kind of thing, but I am just giving God thanks because it could have been worse. A lot of people could die, and I would have to carry this for the rest of my life because it was our wake even though we don’t have anything to do with what happened.”

While the police have not yet established a clear motive for the attack, The Gleaner understands that it might have resulted from a conflict over money that was not shared equally.

Superintendent Hopeton Nicholson, commander of the St Catherine North police, stated that the matter is being actively investigated, with the police following strong leads.

The mass shooting comes just days after another violent incident in Gregory Park, where gunmen killed two patrons at a bar on Main Street, leaving one person hospitalised, and weeks after the Cherry Tree Lane massacre in Four Paths, Clarendon, that claimed the lives of eight people while leaving at least nine others injured.

editorial@gleanerjm.com