Deadly April - This month among highest on record for security force killings

Up to April 27, 2026, Jamaica has recorded 37 fatal shootings involving the security forces, placing the period among the deadliest in recent years, according to the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM).

The oversight body noted that a comparable level of monthly fatalities was last seen in 2013, when security force fatal shootings reached 35 in June and peaked at 40 in October.

Year-to-date figures show 113 people have been shot and killed by security forces, slightly higher than the 106 recorded over the same period in 2025.

On Monday, INDECOM responded to four separate shooting incidents resulting in five deaths. These included one double fatal shooting and three single fatal shootings.

The double fatal incident occurred in 5 West, Greater Portmore, St Catherine, where 25-year-old Paul Francis and 27-year-old Omar Hooke were shot and killed by the police.

Among the single fatal shootings was an incident at a ZOSO checkpoint in August Town, St Andrew, where soldier Ricardo Gayle was fatally shot.

Another took place in Wheelerfield, Golden Grove, St Thomas, where 42-year-old Justin Bondfield was killed by the police. In Clarendon, 39-year-old Peter Gooden was shot and killed at the May Pen town centre.

INDECOM also reported that the April incidents marked the seventh multiple-fatal shooting case under investigation for the month, including four double fatal and three triple fatal shootings.

The commission said that the deceased in the August Town and May Pen cases were reportedly persons with mental health challenges.

In total, police reported the recovery of two firearms and one knife from the scenes involving the five deceased men. INDECOM said that none of the officers involved were wearing body-worn cameras during the fatal encounters.

Speaking in Parliament last week, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang attributed the number of fatal shootings by the security forces to the high level of violent crime in society, arguing that officers are trained to confront armed and dangerous criminals.

He said the strongest deterrent to criminal activity is the certainty of being apprehended and prosecuted, adding that the authorities must ensure offenders are effectively incapacitated.

"If they fight, we knock them out, too," he said, underscoring the view that police must be prepared to use force when faced with violent resistance.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force said that for the period January 1 to April 25, the number of murders recorded in the country stood at 174, down from 227 during the corresponding period in 2025, representing a drop of 53, or 23 per cent.