KINGSTON, Jamaica, Mar 9, CMC – National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang has condemned the murders of two students of the Donald Quarrie High School, who were killed by gunmen as they slept at their home in Portmore, St. Catherine on thesouth east of the island on Thursday night.
Police said that 14 year-old Brittany Allen and 15 year-old David
Cameron, were lying in a bed when gunmen entered and shot the teenagers
in their heads.
“When
young, high school students are killed, the loss to the nation cannot
be quantified,” Chang said in a statement, adding that the “the
community has taken on a culture of violent crime.
“The police continue to improve their response capabilities through
the strengthening the Anti-Gang Task Force, to better manage areas of
high crime and gang violence, to support the efforts of the police, we
will increase expenditure to programmes that teach our youth life
skills, discipline and patience,” he said, appealing to all Jamaicans to
refrain from using violence as a method of resolving conflict.
“We must return to a nation where we are our brothers’ keepers and
where life is considered sacred. Violence is never the solution,” he
said.
Earlier this week, Chang also condemned the murder of six-year-old
Jordanion Hodges, describing it as “a brutal and heartless act”.
Police said that Kuwayne Hemmings, 27, who was transporting Hodges
along the Windsor main road in the St. James parish on the north west
end of the island, was also killed.
“The killing of this child saddens me,” Chang said, adding “this kind of brazen assault on our people and this disregard for the life of a child will not be tolerated”.
