KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Labour and Social Security Mike Henry is condemning the brutal gun slaying of one of his staff, Ornella Bryan, in Kingston Tuesday night.

According to the minister, the 24-year-old senior secretary employed to the ministry’s North Street offices in Kingston, was killed in the presence of her three-year-old son.

He said he is deeply mortified by the news of the killing, and while he did not meet her directly, she was an employee of his ministry for over six years and that “really hits home knowing that her life was snuffed out so brutally”.

The minister said violence against our nation’s women remains a bedevilling issue and must be arrested.

He further called for individuals with information to speak up, speak out, and do what they can to give information to the police in confidence, so that there can be an arrest and conviction in a court of law.

The minister added that the “now motherless son” will become part of the ministry’s family, and every staff member will see to it that he grows up to take his rightful place in the society.

Henry said he has asked state minister Zavia Mayne to lead a ministry team to visit with the family and provide emotional and psychological support as they grieve her sudden passing.