ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – Six people were shot in Accompong on Thursday night, leaving at least one of the victims dead.

A police source confirmed that the shooting incident happened late evening in the Maroon village. A six-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy were among those shot and one of the victims has succumbed in hospital, the source told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Unconfirmed reports are that the shooting resulted from an altercation at an event being held in the community, which followed the annual January 6 celebration of the signing of a peace treaty between the Leeward (western) Maroons and British colonizers 284 years ago.

When contacted, the police’s Constabulary Communications Unit (CCU) confirmed that there was a stampede with people rushing to leave the area as cops responded to the incident.

This follows Wednesday’s warning by the police that people should not attend the annual event in Accompong, as it is in breach of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA).

– Kasey Williams