PETERSFIELD, Westmoreland — The discovery early Tuesday morning of two brothers who had been fatally shot a few feet from their respective homes has left this community reeling and one of the dead men’s partners pleading for a sit-down with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, as well as a return of the state of public emergency (SOE).

“Mr Prime Minister, I can’t manage on my own, I swear. This one hit me really, really hard. It hit me hard. Trust me, I can’t manage this alone. I am asking for your assistance and just to see you, just to meet you and talk with you here,” said the woman before she broke down in tears.

She has asked not to be identified by name.

“I have always seen things happen to people, but I never dreamed that this would come to my doorway,” she added.

She had been making plans to formalise her 21-year relationship with 43-year-old Dervin Jones, one of the two brothers killed. They live in the Cayman Islands and this was their first time back to Jamaica in three years. It was supposed to be a fun visit, a time to reconnect with their children and celebrate his birthday, which was yesterday. They arrived in Jamaica on Christmas Eve and had planned to leave at the end of January.

Dervin Jones is now survived by four children he shares with his spouse and a stepchild. Both he and his partner are said to be from humble beginnings.

He and his brother, 41-year-old Sheldon Jones, were said to be returning home from an outing with friends when they were killed. Sheldon is also a father of four and both men were masons by trade.

According to residents, they heard what sounded like gunshots shortly after midnight. The men’s bodies were not discovered until 4:30 am.

Nadine Jones Abbott, the youngest sibling of the men killed, said the murder is tearing the family apart. It comes too close to the recent loss of their matriarch.

“I don’t feel good at all. Right now mi feel like mi a go black out. Mi have fi go a doctor because it is very hard to bury your mother just four months [ago] and then yuh have fi come to terms now fi bury your two big brothers,” she said.

Pointing out that her brothers were not robbed, Jones Abbott theorised that they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“The police gave me Dervin chain, him [bracelet] and wallet with a lot of CI [Cayman Islands currency], so I don’t know what the problem is,” she said.

The heartbroken woman is calling for the reinstatement of an SOE in the parish.

“Definitely, wi need it. God knows, wi need it,” she said.

Dervin Jones’ partner agreed.

“The soldiers are needed back down here. They are needed back down here, like seriously. It sad, but I think that when they were here things were better,” stated the woman, who noted that while the community is peaceful, the parish, in general, had less crime when the security forces had more boots on the ground.

Efforts to reach the Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Central George Wright were unsuccessful.

Tuesday’s incident is the second known multiple killing in Westmoreland since the start of the year and has pushed the total known number of murders in the parish to five.

On New Year’s Day the parish was rocked by three murders within half an hour of each other. At that time, MP for Westmoreland Western Morland Wilson told the Jamaica Observer that the parish has become a hotbed for violent crime. He also said he welcomed any initiative suggested by the Ministry of National Security and the police, including the reimposition of an SOE that came to an abrupt end in November because of lack of support from the Opposition People’s National Party.

The parish ended 2021 with a 48 per cent increase in murders when compared to the previous year. There were 128 murders in 2021, up from 80 in 2020.