Man Killed, Building Ablaze in August Town

Police in Kingston said a man was killed and a building was set ablaze in August Town between late Friday and early Saturday, in an attack now under investigation. Officers responding to reports of a fire after 3:15 a.m. found a body at premises along August Town Road in St Andrew, according to Jamaican media reports citing police. The man had what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the head and his body was partially burnt, the Jamaica Gleaner reported. The Jamaica Observer reported that police had also confirmed the firebombing of a home in the community. ### What did police say happened in August Town? The Jamaica Constabulary Force has not publicly identified the dead man, but police were reported to have confirmed both the killing and the burning of a building in the community. The Observer said the attack happened between late Friday night and early Saturday morning and that investigators believed the killing and the fire were connected. (jamaica-gleaner.com) August Town Road in St Andrew was the location named in the initial reports. The Gleaner said lawmen went to the scene after receiving a report of a house fire sometime after 3:15 a.m., then processed the area for evidence. ### Who was the victim reported to be? (jamaicaobserver.com) Observer Online reported that the dead man had not yet been named by police and was understood to be a relative of recording artiste Etana. The same report said his brother had also been killed recently. DancehallMag, citing community accounts, identified the dead man only by the nickname “Bupty” and said he was one of Etana’s cousins. (jamaica-gleaner.com) That report said the two slain relatives were brothers and had been killed within about two weeks of each other. Police had not publicly confirmed those family details in the reports reviewed. (jamaicaobserver.com) ### What did Etana say about the attack? Etana, whose given name is Shauna McKenzie, said in a social media post on Saturday that her family in August Town was under attack. “My relatives are under attack in August Town, Kingston, Jamaica,” she wrote, according to the Gleaner. In the same post, she said, “They have taken a second person this morning. He is mentally ill, and they have burned my aunt’s shop to the ground!” (dancehallmag.com) The Gleaner said it was not yet clear whether the dead man found after the fire was the same person referenced in Etana’s post. The newspaper said police investigations were continuing. ### Why are reports linking the killing to wider tensions in the area? (jamaica-gleaner.com) The Gleaner said the killing came amid claims of rising tension and violence in August Town. DancehallMag described the latest death as part of an ongoing wave of gang violence in the “Vietnam” enclave of August Town, though that characterization came from the publication rather than a police statement. (jamaica-gleaner.com) Saturday’s attack followed another recent killing tied by media reports to the same family. The Observer said the dead man’s brother had been killed recently, while DancehallMag said investigators believed the incidents might be connected and were examining whether the latest attack was retaliatory. ### Which police unit is handling the case now? (jamaica-gleaner.com) The Half-Way Tree Criminal Investigation Branch is leading the investigation, the Gleaner reported. No arrests were reported in the initial accounts reviewed, and police had not released the victim’s name by Saturday. (ttgazette.com) The next public details are likely to come from police updates or follow-up reporting from Kingston-based outlets including the Jamaica Observer and the Jamaica Gleaner, which first reported the killing and fire on May 23. (jamaicaobserver.com) (jamaica-gleaner.com)