The Tribune

BY LEANDRA ROLLE

and Lynaire Munnings

Tribune Reporters

THE murder rate has skyrocketed 150 per cent compared to last year as the country grapples with one of its deadliest ever starts to a year.

More people have been killed through January 11 this year than in any other year in this period in over a decade, according to The Tribune’s records, putting the murder rate ahead of 2015 when a record 146 people were killed.

A 57-year-old grandmother was the latest victim after a man emerged from bushes yesterday and killed her while shooting her two-year-old grandson, leaving him in critical condition.

 Relatives identified the murder victim as Renee Gray, a mother-of-five, and the toddler as Adonai Moss.

 Ten people have been killed so far this year. Only four were killed up to this point last year, and two in 2022.

 Police said three women and a child –– all related –– were travelling west on Lily of the Valley corner in a small grey Japanese vehicle when a man emerged from nearby bushes and opened fire on them.

 After the shooting, the driver drove them to the Quakoo Street police station.

 Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told reporters police then took the adult woman and the toddler to the hospital, where the woman died, and the child was treated for head injuries.

 Police believe the group were the intended target of the gunman. A suspect said to be in his 20s was arrested shortly after the ambush. Police said he was wanted for another matter that happened earlier this year.

 “For someone to do that in brazen daylight, that means they’re familiar with the area,” CSP Skippings said. “They know the persons in the area. They went to the car. He went to the car and opened fire on the car. He didn’t open fire on nearby homes.”

 The Office of the Prime Minister called the killing a “senseless act of violence” in a statement, adding: “The prime minister emphasises that there will zero safe havens in our country for those who choose a path of crime and violence.”

 The shooting came less than 24 hours after a man was killed in the Montel Heights area. That man was reportedly waiting in his car with a woman friend after the vehicle experienced mechanical issues. An unknown man approached and shot him multiple times before fleeing the scene.

 Police also reported a double shooting on Rosedale Street early Thursday that left two women in hospital. The women, who are said to be in stable condition, were reportedly shot by a man known to them.

 “We will remain firm,” CSP Skippings said yesterday. “We will remain focused until all of those persons who seek to disrupt this tranquil country is placed before the courts.”