Two men killed in Spanish Town hours after St Catherine North celebrates murder-free month

ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — Just days after the St Catherine North Police Division celebrated its first murder-free calendar month in more than two years, gunmen struck twice, killing two men in separate attacks within 90 minutes on September 1. The victims, both reportedly labourers, have not yet been formally identified. They are known only by the aliases “Chucky” and “Yankee”. According to police reports, Chucky was standing at 84 St John’s Road at about 8:30 pm when a gunman approached and opened fire, hitting him several times. He was rushed to the Spanish Town Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Approximately 90 minutes later, at about 9:50 pm, Yankee was walking home along Old Harbour Road when he was attacked. Police said that upon reaching 23 Old Harbour Road, he was ambushed by a gunman who had reportedly been lurking on a premises. The attacker shot Yankee several times before fleeing the scene. He was also taken to the Spanish Town Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No motive has been established for either killing. The double bloodshed came after intensified policing and community partnerships helped the St Catherine North Division complete August without recording a murder, its first such month in 29 months. Investigators attached to the Spanish Town Criminal Investigation Branch are probing both killings. — Claude Mills