Employee stabbed in neck at government office

An employee at the National Museum of Jamaica is now battling for life at the Kingston Public Hospital after he was stabbed in the neck yesterday afternoon.

The incident reportedly took place sometime after 2 p.m. inside the victim’s office, which is located on East Street in downtown Kingston. Information reaching THE STAR is that the victim, who serves as a supervisor at the Institute, was discovered lying in a pool of blood by a security guard making his rounds.

The incident was confirmed by Deputy Superintendent Berrisford Williams at the Central Kingston Police Station, who said the police are following several leads to apprehend the perpetrator who has since been on the run.

“We understand that the victim was involved in a heated dispute with the alleged perpetrator. The accused left enraged and went for a knife before stabbing the victim in his neck. The suspect is being sought as we speak and is being asked to turn himself in to the police soonest,” he said.

The attack has left several staff traumatised, according to Onica Grannum, director of development and public relations at the Institute of Jamaica, which oversees the operations of the museum, who said that the victim is a very jovial and soft-spoken person.

“I have never heard of him being in anything like this before. The incident has affected us all. We are disappointed in the whole incident. I’ve spoken to some of my staff who have been shaken up by what happened and I instructed them to leave work early,” she said.

Grannum said that they did not know the severity of their colleague’s condition.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story indicated that the incident took place at the National Gallery of Jamaica, which is not the case. The incident occurred at the National Museum of Jamaica, which is located at East Street in Kingston.