Correctional Services workers fired on by gunmen
Published:Sunday | July 31, 2022 | 12:15 AM
Three workers of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) had to duck for cover after their vehicle reportedly came under gunfire by thugs in the Maxfield Avenue area of St Andrew on Friday night.
No one was injured in the incident, which resulted in damage to the front of the bus assigned for late night staff transportation.
Head of the St Andrew South Police, Senior Superintendent Kirk Ricketts, confirmed that the incident occurred in his section of Maxfield Avenue. He, however, could not say the exact location.
“I am aware of reports of that incident, but I have still not been fully briefed,” said Ricketts late yesterday afternoon.
Earlier, the DCS reported that the staff members were from Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Remand Centre and that they were approached by four gunmen, who fired on the vehicle. One of the staff members was an armed escort.
“The escort returned fire which dissuaded the attackers,” read a press release from the correctional service.
“The officers are traumatised, but thankfully, there was no physical harm,” the communications team added, unable to say whether it was an isolated incident.
Meanwhile, Ricketts reported that there were no frequent reports of robberies in the section of Maxfield Avenue below Rousseau Road for which he is in charge.
He said that in the absence of a full report, it is not clear whether the DCS staff were the intended targets or they were caught in a crossfire between rival gangs in the area.