Woman gunned down at same shop her son was killed

Ashley Makerre, the woman who was shot on Thursday in Andrews Pen, Barbican, St Andrew, was killed at the same shop where her son was killed just weeks ago.

The shooting, which also left one man dead and another injured, is believed to be part of an escalating cycle of reprisal and counter-reprisal violence plaguing the area. Ashley was supposed to bury her son this Sunday. The latest attack has heightened tensions in the community, prompting immediate action from law enforcement.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Randy Sweeny, commander for the St Andrew North Police Division, confirmed that an initial 48-hour curfew was imposed in Andrews Pen starting on Thursday at 6 p.m. to quell further violence.

This incident comes amid a broader crisis of violent crime in the St Andrew South Police Division and sections of St. Andrew Central. Earlier Thursday, a state of public emergency was declared in those areas. As fear grips Andrews Pen and surrounding communities, residents are expressing frustration and desperation.

"Me nah stay here fi the Christmas," one woman lamented.