US citizen murdered after river trip

A United States citizen who reportedly journeyed to Jamaica for a recent funeral was gunned down on Tuesday evening on the Caymanas Bay main road in St Catherine after leaving the nearby Caymanas River.

Information reaching THE STAR is that the woman's male companion was also shot and injured during the incident, which investigators believe was orchestrated.

Dead is 24-year-old Armelia Frazer of a Connecticut, United States, address.

Reports are that at about 5:30 p.m., Frazer was travelling with several people in a motor car when four men approached and opened fire.

Frazer and the injured man were rushed to the Spanish Town Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Up to press time, the injured man was still hospitalised.

Attempted to escape

A source close to the deceased told THE STAR that Frazer was in Jamaica for a funeral and was scheduled to depart the island soon.

"She is an American. She only came to Jamaica for a funeral. Is her cousin weh police mistakenly shot a Waterhouse funeral she come for. The funeral was Sunday. Dem go river and when dem about to leave, me hear say man approach dem and dem drive off. The man dem still shoot up the car and kill her," the source said.

THE STAR gathered that the perpetrators attempted to escape in a car, but reportedly crashed a few metres away from the shooting scene.

A senior policeman close to the investigation told our news team that preliminary reports indicate that this was not a random act.

THE STAR understands that the group was possibly trailed by the unknown assailants from the Corporate Area.

The police's Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) confirmed the incident, and told THE STAR that the Central Village police are investigating.