ST JAMES, Jamaica — Neither the declared Zone of Special Operation (ZOSO) nor the police station located less than 30 metres away were enough to prevent Ishamar ‘Scamma’ Campbell from being gunned down, Thursday evening, in the community of Mount Salem on the outskirts of Montego Bay.

According to police reports, Campbell, a fisherman from Jarrett Terrace in St James, was shot and killed about 6:15 pm.

The police were summoned after residents heard what they believed to be gunshots. Upon their arrival, lawmen found Campbell in a pool of blood suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

There are unconfirmed reports that, based on the number of times he was shot, Campbell may have been the target of a hit. It is also said that he once lived in the parish of Westmoreland, but moved to St James about a year ago after an attempt on his life.

Campbell was killed near the office of the political representative for the Mount Salem division, Councillor Kerry Thomas, who on Friday morning expressed alarm at the level of crime in the parish.

“Yesterday there was a murder, just down there on the main road, on the piazza, near Miss Chin shop and in close proximity to the Mount Salem Police Station, just 30 metres across there. Plus we are also in a Zone of Special Operations. Now for a murder to take place at this time of the day, after six in the afternoon, in broad daylight, [when] people are just getting home from work it only means that the crime in St James is very, very bad and it needs to be addressed immediately,” the councillor told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Referencing the murder, 24 hours before, of nine-year-old Gabriel King whose throat was slashed and his body found in the back of his mother’s car, Thomas said the level of crime being experienced “is not something that a parish should have to live with”.

He called on those in authority to act, saying those incapable of doing their jobs should resign.

“The Government, the Prime Minister (Andrew Holness) need to cut the arrogance, cut the blame game and take action because they have the power; something needs to be done. You cannot have the people in St James suffering under these conditions of fear based on just some people running around shooting, killing whomever they want. The year has just started and the records are not looking good,” said Thomas.