The National Water Commission (NWC) said yesterday that a work crew from the company was still coming to terms with what it called “a brazen and senseless shooting incident” that occurred Friday night around 9:15 at the Greater Portmore Wastewater Treatment Plant, in St Catherine.

The shooting left two members of the crew nursing minor injuries. The crew members sustained the no-gun related injuries during their attempt to retreat to safety.

“The Greater Portmore Wastewater Pumping Station was the scene of the dastardly act and was perpetrated during a debriefing meeting which is a regular exercise that takes place during an ongoing wetwell cleaning activity,” a statement from the NWC said yesterday. “The wetwell cleaning activity has been taking place since Saturday, September 19, 2020. During the debriefing, explosions were heard. Based on the account of the NWC personnel who were at the location, what made the incident even more chilling is the fact that the shots were mostly targeted at the group consisting of NWC managers, which caused the team to bolt for safety, while the ground around them was peppered with bullets.

“After the gunshots subsided, the Greater Portmore Police Station was contacted and the scene was processed.

“Despite the frightening ordeal, the NWC remains committed and will not be daunted as it continues to carry out its various tasks to ensure that residents of Greater Portmore and the rest of Jamaica benefit from improved sewerage services and upgraded infrastructure,” the statement continued.

NWC President Mark Barnett also stated: “We toil day and night to improve service to the people of Greater Portmore. Why would anyone want to harm the NWC team by firing shots on the work site last night? We still remain committed.”

As the investigations continue, the NWC said it was informed that there will be periodic patrolling of the area as part of measures to improve the safety of the environs.