Police flag rise in coordinated gun attacks

Senior law enforcement sources have described an alarming rise in coordinated gun attacks involving heavily armed groups moving with military-like precision across several parishes.

The concern follows a spate of shootings and murders over the past eight months in which four or more gunmen reportedly travelled in motor vehicles, launched targeted attacks, and fled before law enforcement could respond.

Speaking on condition of anonymity after the fatal police shooting of five men in the Bog Walk Gorge on Tuesday, senior investigators told The Gleaner that a disturbing pattern is emerging in major crimes across the island.

“Over the past eight months, there were at least 40 shooting incidents resulting in the killing of citizens where four or more gunmen were involved,” a source disclosed.

The attacks, they say, often follow similar operational methods.

“The criminals drive to the location, exit a motor vehicle, shoot the victims and leave in the vehicle. Sometimes they enter on foot, shoot the victims, and exit in a waiting vehicle,” a source explained.

Investigators believe the attacks are linked to organised criminal networks and reprisals, many of which have escalated into multiple murders in communities already plagued by gang violence.

Among the incidents highlighted were the October 2025 mass shooting in Commodore, Linstead, where nine people were shot and five killed; a series of attacks in March Pen, Spanish Town, between November 2025 and June that left seven people dead and seven others hospitalised; and multiple deadly shootings across Manchester, including in Farm, New Forest, Old England and Barnstable, where at least seven people were killed between December 2025 and June this year.

Sources also pointed to attacks in Crescent Road in St Andrew South, where a soldier was killed and a police officer injured, as well as shootings in Adventist Close and Waterford in St Catherine South, Red Hills Road in St Andrew North, Williams Street in Spanish Town, and a double murder involving two women in Kingston East earlier this year.

Taken together, officials say, the incidents suggest a shifting criminal landscape in which gunmen are more coordinated and increasingly willing to engage security forces. At the same time, they noted that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has strengthened its operational capacity through expanded tactical training, increased manpower, and more intensive policing.

“The JCF is getting better cooperation from citizens. The majority of decent, law-abiding Jamaicans here and in the diaspora are supporting the police.”

The Gleaner’s sources, which include senior investigators, further suggested that amendments to the Firearms Act — which introduced mandatory minimum sentences for possession of prohibited weapons — may be influencing the behaviour of armed offenders.

“Since the amendment to the Firearms Act, more criminals choose to confront the police. More confrontations will lead to more fatal shootings,” the sources stated.

The comments come amid ongoing debate over fatal police encounters and the aggressive anti-crime measures employed by law enforcement. Police insist that, despite the rise in violent reprisals and coordinated attacks, recent operational successes show that security forces are gaining ground against criminal networks.

“Jamaica is at a turning point where crime is concerned. The few criminals will not be allowed to reverse the progress being made,” a source declared.

The five men killed in Tuesday’s reported gun battle with police in the Bog Walk Gorge, along with a sixth man who escaped but was later cornered by officers near the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sport, were said to be linked to several violent crimes under active investigation.

The Independent Commission of Investigations is expected to examine the fatal shooting, in keeping with established procedures governing police killings.

ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com