TERROR ATTACK: Half The People Killed In The Texas Shooting Were Children The victims were as young as 18 months and as old as 77.

By Nick Visser, Lydia O’Connor, Roque Planas, Willa Frej, and Doha Madani

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas ― Around half the people killed in Sunday’s mass shooting were minors, including at least one child under age two.

Of the 26 people who lost their lives at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, 12 to 14 of them were children, Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt said Monday morning. 

The tragedy in the small community near San Antonio marks the worst mass shooting in the history of Texas, with deceased victims as young as 18 months and as old as 77 years. 

At least 26 people― around half the church’s membership according to one estimate― were killed when a lone gunman opened fire on worshippers a little before noon on Sunday, officials said. Several families are grappling with multiple deaths and injuries ― the Holcombe family, for instance, lost eight people from three generations. more

West Kingston ZOSO Widens - Denham Town Zone Grows To Include Neighbouring Communities

Published:Tuesday | November 7, 2017 | 12:00 AMCorey Robinson

Members of the Jamaica Defence Force and the
 Jamaica Constabulary Force on Little King Street, the new
boundary of the second zone of special operations in
 downtown Kingston.

Seven months ago, residents of Hannah Town in Kingston were cowering in fear after gunmen sprayed at a birthday party on Hannah Street, killing one man and seriously injuring six others.

Yesterday, they were still wary, but far less fidgety as the security forces officially expanded the second zone of special operations (ZOSO) to include communities closely neighbouring Denham Town - the area initially declared by Prime Minister Andrew Holness last month. "It was expanded based on operations and intelligence assessment with regards to the areas around Denham Town," said Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Corporate Communications Unit.

"The information suggested that persons are moving from Denham Town into some areas and seeking refuge in those spaces," Lindsay added. "We want to maintain the integrity of the zone of special operations, and because of that, the recommendation was made to the prime minister and it was approved."

Yesterday, a release from the ZOSO Communication Centre listed an area called 'Shooters Hill' among those the expansion had covered. "The new border has now pushed the boundary at Albert Street further westward to include Water Lane. The new western boundary is Little King Street," the release read. "On the northern side, the boundary is pushed northward from Greenwich Street to Blount Street." more

IN JAMAICA: NINJAMAN REMAINS IN HOSPITAL 3 DAYS AFTER BEING ADMITTED DURING HIS MURDER TRIAL.THE TRIAL CONTINUES.

DESPITE being admitted in hospital since Friday, Ninjaman's murder trial continued in the downtown Kingston-based Supreme Court yesterday.

Ninjaman

“He's still in hospital and has been there for the weekend,” Valrie Neita-Robertson, the entertainer's lawyer, told the Jamaica Observer.

“We went on with the case today (yesterday)… He has given permission to us to finish it without him,” she continued.

Up to press time, the dancehall deejay was still at the undisclosed medical facility, under police guard. Neita-Robertson said she was unable to say what is wrong with him and when he would be discharged.

Last Friday, the trial came to an abrupt end at midday after the dancehall deejay began complaining of chest pains and difficulty in breathing.

The case is slated to continue today.

Ninjaman, given name is Desmond Ballentine, along with his son Jahneil, is charged with the March 2009 murder of Ricardo Johnson on Marl Road in Kingston. He was granted bail in 2012. more

IN JAMAICA: Grief! Manchester mourns murdered policeman Corporal Melvin Smith

Monday, November 06, 2017

The late Corporal Melvin Smith
“loved people”

Mandeville , Manchester — Parking spaces disappeared and traffic slowed to a snail's crawl.

But the inconvenience was less than a footnote, as a large crowd converged on the Cecil Charlton Park in the centre of Mandeville last Thursday to pay respects to a hero, gone too soon, a victim of mindless criminals.

Valerie Smith, widow of Corporal
 Melvin Smith, is comforted by a relative 

Corporal Melvin Smith of the Community Safety and Security Branch in the Manchester Police Division — arguably the most loved lawman of recent memory in these parts — was shot dead in Mandeville while trying to thwart a robbery on the night of October 27.

Even the very young ones were
there to pay their respects

Last Thursday's function, a tributes forum and prayer service, organised by the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in collaboration with private and public entities, started sometime after 3:00 pm and lasted until long after dark. People from every walk of life, speaking from the podium, as well as in private, remembered a policeman who was always smiling and always trying to help others.

Corporal Smith's widow Valerie, his 11-year-old daughter Rheana, his mother Olive Smith, brother Ronald, and other relatives were among those listening as the tributes poured. more

JAMAICA'S murder figures tell of a state of emergency....JA population at 2.7 million folks has recorded more than 1,150 murders at a rate of 42 murders per 100,000 of population.

Monday, November 06, 2017 Richard Hugh Blackford  

Residents gather at a crime scene as
scene of crime officer arrive.
(Photo: Karl McLarty) 

According to a World Bank Report published earlier this year, the direct cost of crime to Jamaica in 2014 was $61 billion, or four per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The Inter-American Development Bank also reported that the indirect cost of crime to the country on an annual basis is about seven per cent of GDP, and includes investments that might have come to this country but didn't because of concerns about crime and corruption. This included the loss of human capital, as the island loses a lot of its skilled people who emigrate to other jurisdictions as personal fear becomes a component of that decision. Crime also impacts people's propensity to save and invest in Jamaica, a decision they are less likely to make if people believe they are going to become victims of a crime.

According to this report, the Latin America and Caribbean region remains the most violent region in the world, with a homicide rate of 24 per 100,000 of the population in 2015 — murder rates that are about four times the global average. Jamaica's murder rate is nearly twice this number when taken nationally and when looked at on a parish or city level.

With a population reported by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica at the end of 2016 at 2,730,000, the island, up to the end of September 2017, has recorded more than 1,150 murders at a rate of 42 murders per 100,000 of population. This ranks Jamaica as the fourth most murderous country in the entire world. If that picture is not bad enough, for a country that depends heavily on tourism for its livelihood, these figures are even more damning. more