Teen Girls Among Victims of Illegal New Year’s Gun SalutesTwo teenage girls are recovering in hospital after being struck by bullets during separate New Year’s Day gun salute incidents, once again highlighting the deadly consequences of illegal celebratory gunfire in Jamaica.
The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) confirmed that both incidents occurred within hours of each other shortly after midnight, as communities across the island rang in the New Year.In the first incident, a 14-year-old girl was reportedly inside her home in an inner-city Kingston community when she was hit by a falling projectile.
Family members said she suddenly collapsed after complaining of severe pain. She was rushed to hospital, where doctors confirmed she had been shot.In a separate incident in St. Catherine, a 16-year-old girl was struck while outdoors with relatives celebrating the New Year. She was also taken to hospital and remains under medical observation.Police say both injuries are consistent with bullets fired into the air that later descended with lethal force.
