Two shot dead outside Adventist Church in Jamaica during funeral
December 10, 2017: Gunmen fired at mourners attending a funeral at an Adventist church in Jamaica on December 9. The funeral was being held at Kings Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Kingston.
A witness told the Jamaica Gleaner that the shooting took place soon after an offering was collected at the service. She estimated that about 15 rounds had been fired at the mourners.
In addition to the two victims that were killed, seven were wounded.
The alleged shooter was apprehended. “He was being mobbed by residents and the police rescued him and transported him to KPH (Kingston Public Hospital),” a police source said, speaking about the suspect.
A crowd at the hospital turned hostile against the alleged shooter as police arrived with the man. Some shouted in frustration asking why the man was being treated for his injuries.
The funeral at Kings Chapel Seventh-day Adventist Church was for a Romain White who himself was murdered. White worked as an importer and was killed in a disagreement with another man over the area in which he sold his goods.
Jamaica has suffered from a high murder rate for years. Over 1500 people have been murdered this year in the country of approximately 2.9 million. In 2005, Jamaica had 1,674 murders and the highest murder rate in the world. The murder rate at the time was 58 per 100,000 people.
