KINGSTON, Jamaica — In the period following the announcement that Jamaica had recorded its first positive test for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), there were no murders across the island in 24 hours, sparking hope that the criminals had gone into hiding.

But since then, the bloodletting has resumed with a vengeance, with at least 16 murders recorded by the police in the past 48 hours.

Following reports of eight murders in the 24-hour period between Sunday morning and Monday morning to start this week, there were eight more murders yesterday.

These included an incident where a man is alleged to have bludgeoned his brother to death, and an uncle is the main suspect in the fatal shooting of his nephew.

The killings on Sunday included a triple murder on McKenley Crescent in South St Andrew where a state of emergency is in place; one on Barnett Street and another in Flanker, St James; two in White House Westmoreland; and one on Beeston Street in Central Kingston.

Westmoreland and St James are also under states of emergency.

Yesterday, 33-year-old Demar Gordon was fatally shot in the Lime Tree Crescent area of Flanker in what is believed to be a reprisal for the shooting on Sunday, while three people were killed in separate incidents in the St Andrew South Police Division.

There people were also shot in two other incidents in the violence-plagued St Andrew South Police Division yesterday.  They have since been hospitalised.

Over in Point Hill, St Catherine, 22-year-old Damoy Christie was fatally shot, allegedly by his uncle, while an unidentified man was killed almost in front of a church on East Queen Street in downtown Kingston.

In Ramble, Hanover, 57-year-old farmer Dalton Shippy was bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer, allegedly by his brother, who has been taken into custody by the police.

Westmoreland also recorded another murder yesterday, this time at a bar in Savanna-la-Mar.  That victim has been identified as Kashwayne Bennett.  A 19-year-old bartender was shot in that incident.

Arthur Hall