Police probe Kingston and Spanish Town killings as Clarendon reports crime measures

Police are investigating two deadly attacks reported on Friday in Kingston and St. Catherine, while Clarendon officers say they are stepping up operations despite a slight increase in murders this year.

In Kingston Central, 35-year-old Carnelia Richards of Seaview Gardens, Kingston 11, was killed and two other men were injured in a shooting on Maiden Lane on Friday night. Police said Richards, a 21-year-old man and a 79-year-old retiree were at a shop about 9:25 p.m. when gunmen opened fire. Richards died at the scene. The attackers escaped and investigators have not yet determined a motive. The Kingston Central Criminal Investigation Branch is leading the probe.

Police figures show Kingston Central had recorded four murders up to June 7, compared with nine over the similar period last year, a reduction of five killings or 56 per cent.

In Spanish Town, 35-year-old Roshaine Beckford, also called "The Puncho", was shot dead on March Pen Road on Friday afternoon. Beckford was a teacher at Ascot High School in Portmore, St. Catherine. Investigators said he received a call about 3:15 p.m. saying a family member, reportedly his mother, was ill and needed help. He went to an address on March Pen Road, where men attacked him and shot him several times. He was taken to Spanish Town Hospital and pronounced dead. The Spanish Town Criminal Investigation Branch is investigating, and no motive has been established.

In Clarendon, Inspector Graham Evangelist told Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation that the parish recorded 18 murders up to June 2026, one more than the 17 recorded over the same period last year. He said the division, led by Senior Superintendent Ashton McCalla, has expanded its operational presence and is maintaining 24-hour attention in identified hotspots.

Evangelist said shootings were down by one incident year-on-year. He also said contingency plans are in place for hurricane season at vulnerable stations, including Exeter and Lionel Town in southern Clarendon and Mocho in the north.

The inspector appealed to parents and guardians to monitor children more closely, citing complaints about youngsters loitering in town centres after hours. He said the Community Safety and Security Branch and beat officers are trying to address the problem, and urged parents to see the situation for themselves.

Separately, Jamaicans for Justice executive director Mickel Jackson rejected Justice Minister Delroy Chuck’s statement that Jamaica does not have a human rights problem. Jackson cited children detained for uncontrollable behaviour, fatal security-force shootings, prolonged detention without charge, discrimination affecting people living with HIV and LGBT Jamaicans, and prison conditions involving overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate health care.

Jackson said 153 people had been killed by security forces so far in 2026, including 11 deaths within 24 hours last week, and called for stronger accountability. Chuck made his remarks during Wednesday’s sectoral presentation in the House of Representatives, citing Jamaica’s reviews under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Periodic Review. Opposition justice spokesperson Zuleika Jess also urged him to withdraw the comment.