Morant Bay stabbing leaves elderly man hospitalised as two teen girls face attempted murder charges

A 64-year-old man remains in hospital in serious condition after he was stabbed during an encounter with two underage girls at a Morant Bay villa in St. Thomas, police say. The 15-year-old and 14-year-old suspects are in custody on suspicion of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and simple larceny as investigators continue their work.

Authorities allege the complainant arranged to meet the teenagers around 3:00 a.m. on July 5 for a sexual encounter at the property. Investigators say the girls bought duct tape, knives, tarpaulin, and other items beforehand. The man reportedly collected them the night before and drove them to the location. After he rented a room where the encounter was said to have taken place, he was allegedly attacked, suffering stab wounds to his face, neck, and back. He escaped the room, raised an alarm, and was found bleeding when officers responded. Police say the teens fled in his motor vehicle but were arrested later that day.

In a separate matter, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company said its review found no link between the state-owned operator and an illegal firearm recovered from a bus in Walkerswood Central on Saturday. Media reports said a man seated in the driver's area was seen with a gun and threw the weapon out of a window when police approached. Officers recovered a 9 mm pistol with a magazine and one round. Corporate communications manager Shantal Thompson said, "The incident did not involve the Jamaica Urban Transit Company or any of our employees. We also wish to remind all media partners that before reporting incidents as involving JUTC, it is important to verify the facts with the company. Fact-checking helps to ensure accurate reporting, prevents the spread of misinformation, and also to protect the public's confidence. The individual referenced in the reports by the media houses is not a JUTC driver, and the matter is unrelated to the JUTC operations."

Dancehall artist Chronic Law, whose given name is Akeem Campbell, has been detained again by United States authorities, his manager Alexandra Bashir Jones confirmed. Jones said, "We are aware of the reports regarding Chronic Law's detention in South Florida. At this time, I ask the public, members of the media, and fans to remain calm and allow the legal process to take its course. Our legal team is actively handling the matter, and they have full confidence that it will be addressed through the appropriate legal channels." Reports indicate Campbell was booked by border control and enforcement on firearm-related charges on July 5, 2026. It is the second US detention for the entertainer this year; he was held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in January and released in March.

Meanwhile, police say they want to halve motorcycle fatalities for the rest of 2026. Commanding officer for the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch, SSP Lloyd Darby, said motorcyclists account for roughly 30 to 32 per cent of road deaths and that the force is using a Focus Deterrence strategy to bring overall fatalities down. Darby said, "Like 30 to 32% of road fatalities are contributed by motorcyclists. And if you check the pillions who sometimes are killed, it is even more. And so, we have embarked on the Focus Deterrence strategy to use that as a tool, focusing on the motorcyclists to reduce the overall road deaths. So, our aim is to cut motorcycle deaths by 50% and then the other vulnerable categories by 10%. And in fact, we have been trending down from 2021. 2021 had 166 motorcyclists being killed. 2022, it went down to 142. 2023, it went down to 137. 2025, it went down to 111. And that 111 is what we want to cut by 50%." He added that education on helmet use will continue. Operations officer SSP Winchester Watson said enforcement against riders without helmets should be tightened and suggested raising the minimum age for a motorcycle licence from 17 to 21, noting that western parishes see many of the incidents.