St Catherine police shooting, Spanish Town attack charge lead Jamaica crime and safety updates

Two men were killed Sunday evening in St Catherine after police said an interception along the Louis Ville main road turned into an armed confrontation. Investigators reported that officers stopped a Honda Stream about 6:05 p.m. while acting on information that one occupant was wanted for questioning in relation to last year’s quintuple murder in Commodore district. Police said gunfire came from inside the vehicle after the driver was told to stop, and officers returned fire. Three men reportedly ran into nearby bushes. Two men were later found wounded in the vehicle, two guns and ammunition were seized, and both men were pronounced dead at Linstead Hospital. INDECOM is investigating.

In another St Catherine matter, 20-year-old Javane Maynard, also called Jimbo or Spranglers, of Veta Close, Spanish Town, has been charged with burglary, attempting to choke in order to commit an indictable offence, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Police allege a woman woke about 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18, to find Maynard holding her down, choking her and placing a pillow over her face. She reportedly escaped and raised an alarm. Maynard was arrested and charged on Saturday, May 23, and is due in the St Catherine Parish Court on Friday, May 29.

The Island Traffic Authority said road deaths reached 105 by May 22 from 94 fatal crashes, though both totals are down 28 per cent from the similar period in 2025. Motorcyclists accounted for 25 deaths, private motor vehicle drivers 22, passengers 18, and pedal cyclists five. Vulnerable road users made up 57 per cent of fatalities, while males accounted for 84 per cent.

The Jamaica Bauxite Institute is warning against squatting on bauxite lands. Kemoy Lindsay said enforcement will increase as the institute protects lands used for mining, agriculture and development projects across the five bauxite parishes.

In St Ann, 50-year-old farmer Orville Brown, also called Mona, of Golden Grove, was found dead Sunday morning after disappearing while swimming at Ocho Rios Bay beach on Saturday. In Port Morant, St Thomas, councillor Dinsdale Smith said residents fear recent drain works may not prevent flooding before the hurricane season.