Waterford double murder, St Ann fatal crash and JPS outages among Jamaica news update

Police and soldiers remained in Waterford, St Catherine, after a Monday night gun attack killed two men and injured two others, while other major developments included a reported Bog Walk Gorge closure, a fatal St Ann crash, missing fishermen from Clarendon and fresh electricity concerns.

The Bog Walk Gorge in St Catherine was reportedly closed because of a shootout involving police and alleged gunmen. Four men were said to have been killed and one police officer wounded. Motorists were advised to travel by the north or south coast toll road or through Sligoville until further notice.

In Waterford, detectives from the Major Investigation Division are investigating the murders of 26-year-old technician Antoine Reed, also called Junior and Gong, and 26-year-old Shahid Roach, also known as Sid, an employee of FY Commodity. Police said four people were at the corner of Longwood Road and Dyke Road about 10:30 p.m. when a green motor vehicle arrived and a man got out and opened fire. The gunman reportedly escaped in the vehicle, which was driven by another man. A 17-year-old student was among the injured. Councillor Dr Fenley Douglas said the area had gone more than a year without violence and warned that permits for summer entertainment events could now be affected.

In St Ann, 22-year-old Jamar Jarrett and 25-year-old Tajay Malcolm, both of Discovery Bay, died after a blue Suzuki Swift and a white Toyota Coaster bus collided near Dolphin Cove on the Dunn's River main road on Monday night. Police said the Swift was heading west towards St Ann's Bay about 8:30 p.m. when it failed to keep left. Another passenger was admitted in serious condition, and the bus driver was treated at hospital.

Three Rocky Point fishermen, Jerome Wright, 17, Cecil Thompson, 24, and Andre Lewis, 42, have been missing since leaving for Pedro Cays last Thursday. A resident said rough weather has hampered searches by local teams and the Coast Guard.

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz said he received JPS's preliminary report on last Friday's islandwide blackout and requested more information on outages linked to bad weather. JPS said a Tuesday morning disruption followed a loss of gas supply to South Jamaica Power Company units, with most customers restored within 30 minutes.

Tax Administration Jamaica also warned the public about fake online payment sites and scam messages. The agency said its only official website is www.jamaicatax.gov.jm and advised customers to verify suspicious communications through its customer care centre at 888-TAX-HELP or 888-829-4357.