Teens shot in Montego Bay
October 11, 2006
A 13-year-old schoolgirl and a teenage mother were shot and injured shortly after 10:00 a.m. yesterday when two unknown assailants sneaked up on them in the Albion Lane area of Montego Bay and opened fire, hitting them.
The schoolgirl, a student of a prominent Montego Bay preparatory school, suffered two bullet wounds to her upper body while the teenage mother was hit three times in her thigh and calf. Both were rushed to hospital where they were admitted in stable condition.
"Based on what we saw, I don't think the injuries are life-threatening," said Inspector Ralph Medley, of the Montego Bay police. "However, we are very concerned that such a blatant act took place in broad daylight and we are planning to maintain a presence in the area to allay the fears of the residents."
Created panic
The shooting, which took place less than 50 yards from the Albion Lane Basic School, reportedly created panic at the institution, which has a student population of 34 students. The frightened children were reportedly ushered into an empty room to take them out of the line of fire.
"Some of the them were trembling and others were crying," said head teacher Judian Saunders, who dismissed class for the day on the arrival of the police. "We are quite worried as this shooting is not an isolated case as we had other shootings here in recent weeks."
Author: Adrian Frater
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
