[oldtimer]

My best guess is that the " excop " didn't pay who he should have payed . I witnessed a shooting in the school yard in Ewarton (1/2 way from Ochi to Kingston where my kids went to school) . That was the last day my kids attended school in Jamaica . It is a very violent country but a very beautiful country as well . Ask the hotel workers what it's like to take cabs up into the hills after work and the number of times there are logs and rocks on the road so the cabs have to stop . Mind your own business is the flavour of the day in Jamaica . 3 years ago I took a mirror off a car ( fake taxi ) by the burger king . The only thing that saved me was that a few people there didn't want the guy there . This is why I taught my kids to hit 1st and run 2nd while we lived there .Do I think that average tourists will get shot " no " do I think there is a big gun problem " yes " .
Hockey players have hockey sticks , baseball players have bats , poker players have pairs of 9's just like bad guys in Jamaica except there pair of 9's come with a MM on the end like 9MM Glocks

[Firemon]

[Aquavit]

"I disagree on the stray bullets, they know EXACTLY who they want and they are excellent marksmen, have u ever seen a Jamaican throw a rock and it their mark dead on ? I have. "
I agree Wendy. With all the shootings that have taken place over the past several years something to note is that the intended target(s) are always the one hit - never a "bystander".

May tourists feel a different way, and I can't blame them for that. Its little solace that if a shooting goes down in front of you, you won't get hit. Witnessing it is traumatic enough. But that fear of being caught in the cross-fire can't be logically explained away which is why the reaction often to things like this is "I'm never coming back".

Some never do....many get over it and return.

[oldtimer]

The question I have about " straight shootin' " bad guys . Where do they practice shooting ? Bullets are expensive , guns are expensive and there aren't practice ranges . I would think a lot of the times there are guns shots it's probably the 1st time they ever pulled a trigger .BUT !!!! in the case of " hits " I don't think that is so .How many times did any of you guys pulled the trigger on a 9mm Glock . It's not what you think it would be . Why do you think the name of Jamaica's most powerful possee is the " shower ". Their motto is just keep pullin' the trigger .

[Aquavit]

Still - I've yet to hear about a stray hitting an "innocent bystander". And that could pure dumb luck or the fact that when the shooting starts everyone hits the deck.

[oldtimer]

There was a tune many years ago " Everybody get flat " . That song addressed the " hit the deck thing ".Usually these shootings are point blank and the extra shots are so people go poopie in their pants .

[Flintstone]

I have to agree with O T. These people are not trained gun users. Cops go to the range on a regular basis. Have you ever seem a Jamaican in the olympics  winning for best shot in their competions. Just one extra squeeze on the trigger and who knows where the bullit lands. Tiled floor and the right angle of incidence = Ricochet.

[Tim]

Handguns aren't designed for accuracy. It's just a matter of time before an innocent bystander (man/woman/child) dies from these "gangsters". (not to say the people getting shot aren't also innocent). I couldn't imagine going on a trip somewhere with family/friends and having to bring someone home in a box because they were killed from random gunfire. Brutal.
Last summer while we were in Rome there were soldiers setup with armored vehicles and automatic weapons all over. I bet there aren't many civilians openly shooting anyone around there.

[Tim]

(03-07-2019, 04:06 PM)Westenders Wrote:  In Rome that’s highly likely linked to terrorism, the U.K. is often the same
Totally different

It does seem this person knew what they were doing , who says it’s not. a trained person cough cop who did it?? Time will tell. Corruption is key

But as OT says there are many times where the shotters  just shower shots at a target as was the case in the incident we saw and  like the little 6 year old boy in st James who was killed the other day.

I have no doubt the reason they were there, but my point remains - not many people wheeling around shooting people. 
Obviously the military can't be everywhere, but they should have a distinct presence in the larger towns/areas. I don't know if Westmoreland has the highest crime rate but I would think locals and visitors alike would feel more comfortable if there was a solid military presence, because the police don't seem to be able to do anything, or choose not to.

[Westenders]

So would you want to see the army in Negril? I would imagine this would put as many tourists off travelling there, probably more than this incident.

But as I said in an earlier post what would this short term measure / reaction achieve in the long run?