‘Two brave officers lost, a child fighting for life’: PNP calls for unity against gun violence

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) says it is “deeply saddened” by the deaths of two members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Corporal Trevoy Shaw and Constable Devoney Rose. The two men sustained fatal gunshot wounds during confrontation with armed men who had barricaded themselves inside a house with other occupants, including a 10-year-old girl in Five Miles in Sligoville, St Catherine during an operation that unfolded around 5:15 am on Friday. Shaw and Rose were members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Special Operations Branch. Shaw was pronounced dead on Friday while Rose, who was rushed into surgery with gunshot wounds to the head, died Saturday morning. "These officers left home to protect us and did not return. On behalf of the Opposition, I extend sincere condolences to their families, their colleagues and the entire Constabulary. Jamaica owes them a debt we can never fully repay," said Fitz Jackson, Opposition Spokesman on National Security. “Our hearts are also with a 10-year-old girl who was injured in the same incident and remains in critical condition at the Spanish Town Hospital,” Jackson added. He insisted that, “No child should ever be caught in the line of fire. We are praying for this little girl's full recovery and for strength for her family." Jackson also wished a speedy recovery for a third policeman who reportedly suffered injuries unrelated to the shootout, and who was treated at hospital and released. The Member of Parliament for St Catherine Southern, Jackson urged anyone with information to contact the police or Crime Stop at 311. He also urged all Jamaicans to “stand united against the gun violence that continues to rob our families of loved ones”.