JPS power restored after islandwide outage as police probe deadly crashes and shootings

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz said Jamaica Public Service customers affected by Friday night’s islandwide electricity outage had supply restored by 6:30 a.m. Saturday, June 6. JPS president and chief executive officer Hugh Grant said the grid went down at 9:02 p.m. during heavy lightning activity near major generation, transmission and substation facilities. Vaz apologised on behalf of the Government, calling the disruption unacceptable, and said a preliminary report was being prepared.

In St. Elizabeth, a toddler believed to be about two years old died after a three-vehicle collision on the Pepper main road near Church Road about 11 a.m. Saturday. Police said a Voxy, a Nissan pickup and a Ford pickup were involved. Four people from the Voxy and one from the Nissan were taken to hospital, where the child was pronounced dead.

Police in St. Ann are also investigating the killing of an unidentified woman whose body was found with her throat slashed in the Mammee Bay area shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday. In St. James, a man’s body was discovered at the Retirement landfill by workers among garbage. Police said the circumstances were unclear, while sections of the landfill continued burning after a fire that started Friday.

Fire investigators returned Saturday to the Jamaica Defence Force headquarters at Park Camp after a blaze destroyed living quarters Friday night. The JDF said fire teams from its unit and several public stations responded, and no injuries were reported.

Attorney Isat Buchanan welcomed the decision to charge Constable Andrew Wilson with murder in relation to the fatal shooting of Atya Bulggin. Wilson appeared in the St. James Parish Court on June 3 and is due back on June 16.

Danville Walker is set to become managing director of Petrojam, replacing Delroy Morgan, who stepped down in March. Meanwhile, a St. James suspect known as Ekko surrendered Thursday after police said he escaped a dragnet linked to the shooting death of 27-year-old Chinoy Stevens, also called Boxed, in Summer Hill. Police said a 9mm Browning pistol was seized from a vehicle after the suspect fled.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness also received an update in St. Elizabeth on the police body-worn camera rollout. Officers in Santa Cruz, Lacovia and Pedro Plains have received cameras, with Black River expected to follow. Holness said 1,000 cameras had been deployed and another 1,000 were on order.