Portmore shooting, Kitson Town killing, and St. James teacher death lead Jamaica news

A 43-year-old unemployed man from St. Catherine was hospitalised in serious condition after being shot several times in Naggo Head, Portmore, on Monday night.

Reports indicate that around 9:40 p.m., the man was sitting at a stall near the traffic lights when a grey Toyota Axio drove up. A gunman left the vehicle, brandished a handgun, and opened fire, striking him multiple times. The injured man fled to nearby White Lane, where he collapsed, before he was taken to Spanish Town Hospital. Investigators have not established a motive, and the Portmore Criminal Investigation Branch is handling the case.

In Kitson Town, St. Catherine, the partially decomposed body of an 80-year-old man was found at his home in Nazareth Grove on Monday morning. He was last seen alive in the community around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 3. Police said that about 8:15 a.m. on Monday, July 6, his body was discovered on the floor of the house with his head bashed in. Investigators believe one or more attackers forced entry, assaulted him, and struck him with a concrete block. The Spanish Town CIB is investigating.

St. James High School in Montego Bay was left in mourning on Monday after senior teacher Sheldon Johnson collapsed and died shortly after a meeting at the school. Johnson, 46, a native of Gayle Town, Clarendon, taught physics and computer technology and had been on staff since 2018. Principal Joseph Williams described the death as a tragedy, noting that Johnson was the school's primary computer repair expert and maintained its internet service. Williams said Johnson had no known illness and had been approved to begin vacation on September 1. After meeting with a Ministry of Education Region 4 official, Johnson and another teacher stopped at a gas station in Whithorn, where he collapsed. He was rushed to Cornwall Regional Hospital and pronounced dead.

Opposition spokesperson on land matters Cousins has condemned the Government for pressing ahead with demolitions in West Albion, St. Thomas, despite calls to halt the exercise. Cousins said the National Land Agency displaced residents, many of them civil servants, and accused the administration of showing little regard for people already facing economic hardship. He also questioned carrying out demolitions during hurricane season and said residents were not being adequately consulted.

Police have taken another person into custody as they investigate the killing of 64-year-old domestic helper St. Rose Johnson, also known as June, of Union District near Frankfield, Clarendon. Her body, with stab wounds to the chest, was found behind her house around 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1. On Monday, placard-bearing residents dressed in red and black marched through the community demanding justice. Deputy Superintendent Kevin Brown told the gathering that two people previously held were released for insufficient evidence, but a third suspect is now in custody. He urged residents to cooperate with investigators and keep protests peaceful. Area councillor Steven Williams said the quiet farming community was shaken and called on residents to help police solve the crime.

Opposition Leader Mark Golding has defended newer People's National Party parliamentarians amid criticism of first-time MP Nikisha Burchell of South St. James. Former House Speaker and Trelawny Southern MP Marissa Dalrymple Philibert recently condemned Burchell's conduct in the House of Representatives, but Golding told a party conference that the PNP's young legislators represent a new generation of talent and that none have been cited by the Integrity Commission.