Crime Watch: 2 Dead in St. James Shootings, Police on Alert

Crime Watch: 2 Dead in St. James Shootings, Police on Alert

St. James, Jamaica — Look, another tough night in St. James. The police are digging into two separate shootings that happened Wednesday night, and the news isn't easy to swallow. Two men lost their lives, and a woman got hurt. The violence hit the communities of Norwood and Canterbury, and folks there are feeling the tension as gang troubles keep flaring up across the country.

Here's what we know so far from the St. James Police Division. Around 8:30 p.m., some gunmen opened fire on a group of men hanging out at a bar in Norwood. One of them, 28-year-old Omar "Tuffy" Williams—a construction worker from the area—was killed right there. Another man, whose name we haven't gotten yet, is fighting for his life at Cornwall Regional Hospital. A woman who was just passing by got grazed by a bullet, but she's okay, just a minor injury.

Then, barely an hour later, in Canterbury, police got called to another shooting scene. When they arrived, they found 34-year-old Kevin "Sticks" Brown, a taxi driver, lying dead in the middle of the road. He'd been shot multiple times. Witnesses say two men on a motorcycle sped off after the attack. So far, nobody's been arrested in either case.

Superintendent Carol Williams, the top cop for St. James, told the press this morning that they're treating these as targeted hits. "We think these shootings are tied to an ongoing feud between two factions in the area," she said. "We're ramping up patrols and doing cordon-and-search operations to catch the people responsible."

But residents? They're fed up. Miss Patricia Gordon, a 52-year-old shopkeeper in Norwood, told HowJamaica.com: "Every night we hear gunshots, and we can't even send our kids to the shop. The police come after, but the gunmen know the streets better than them. We need more than just patrols; we need real solutions."

Numbers from the Jamaica Constabulary Force show St. James has seen 42 murders so far this year—that's a five percent jump compared to the same time in 2025. The police blame a lot of it on the lottery scamming trade and fights over territory.

Commissioner of Police, Dr. Kevin Blake, is calling on everyone to step up. "We can't do this alone. We need citizens to share information. Every tip can save a life," he said in a statement.

Our Take: If you see something, say something. Call Crime Stop at 311 or your local police station. Stay sharp, especially after dark, and steer clear of areas known for gang activity. Your safety starts with you.

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