St Elizabeth fatal stabbing, road death toll, Manchester hit-and-run and Ascot Primary PEP gown dispute

A 22-year-old man was stabbed to death on Sunday in Union, near Balaclava in St Elizabeth, police said. Officers identified the victim as Taji Atkinson, who lived in Union District. His body was discovered shortly after 7:00 a.m. near Union Main Road. Detectives noted what appeared to be several stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at hospital.

Road crash data show private motor vehicle operators and their passengers account for a large share of this year’s fatalities. Since January 1, 137 people have died in 123 fatal traffic crashes nationwide. Figures released on June 26 by the ITA indicate that 56 deaths, or 40%, involved drivers of private motor vehicles and their passengers. Fatalities and fatal crashes are down 24% compared with the same period in 2025.

Motorcyclists account for 35 deaths, or 26%, while pedestrians represent 33 deaths, or 24%. Private motor vehicle drivers account for 32 deaths, or 23%, and 24 passengers in those vehicles have been killed, or 18%. The ITA reported one fatality each among drivers and passengers of public passenger vehicles. Pedestrians, pedal cyclists, motorcyclists and pillion riders together make up 55% of deaths since the start of the year. Passengers overall account for 22% of fatalities since January 1.

In Manchester, a man died from injuries sustained in a suspected hit-and-run on Spirit Tree Main Road last Sunday. Police had not established his identity. In the early hours, officers were called to the scene where his body lay on the roadway with lacerations. The Area 3 Accident Investigation and Reconstruction Unit is investigating.

A minor earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale was felt in parts of Jamaica on Sunday morning. The Earthquake Unit at the University of the West Indies said preliminary reports place the event at about 11:45 a.m., with shaking reported in Kingston and St. Andrew and St. Catherine. The epicentre was roughly five kilometres northeast of Golden Spring, St. Andrew, at a focal depth of 12 kilometres. The unit classified it as a local earthquake and reported no immediate injuries or damage. Details remain preliminary and may be revised.

The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information has condemned Ascot Primary School in Portmore after reports that pupils who were not proficient in the 2026 Primary Exit Profile examinations were barred from wearing graduation gowns and received different treatment at the ceremony. The ministry called the reported conduct inappropriate, contrary to equity and inclusion, and inconsistent with standards of care for children aged 11 or 12.

In a Sunday statement, Acting Chief Education Officer Terran Thomas Gail said officials had spoken with Principal Mara Jackson, who explained that the decision followed consultation with parents and was not meant to humiliate students publicly. Jackson reportedly told Gail that excluding pupils from gowns based on academic performance was an agreed position for those who did not meet criteria to take part in the graduation exercise. Gail said Jackson later expressed regret, stating, "where any of my students have been wounded or scarred. I am awfully sorry and wholeheartedly apologize for this unintended outcome."

Gail reiterated that graduation should mark every child’s completion of primary education. Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon said, "Every child deserves to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of examination outcomes. Every child matters. A student’s PEP result must never determine whether he or she is made to feel worthy of celebrating an important educational milestone." She added that secondary pathways on PEP reports are meant to guide learning plans, not exclude pupils from milestones, and warned that the ministry will not tolerate practices that harm students’ emotional well-being or equitable treatment. The school’s decision has drawn widespread public criticism.