ST ANN, Jamaica – A security guard was shot and killed during a robbery in River Oaks, Ocho Rios, St Ann on Saturday.

He is 21-year-old Souray Parson of Valley Bush in St Mary.

Reports from the St Ann’s Bay police are that about 11:00 pm, Parson was at a premises with four other individuals when gunmen pounced upon them demanding money.

When the demand wasn’t met, the armed men reportedly opened gunfire, hitting Parson and another man.

The men then proceeded to rob the individuals and left with a sum of cash.

The wounded people were taken to the hospital where Parson was pronounced dead and the injured man admitted.

Monica Hewitt, a resident of the area, said the killing has left the entire community in shock.

She said the incident has brought the year to a dreadful end.

“Almost the last day of the year and a man died, it is rough. This is the time when people should be coming together and enjoying themselves, not killing off each other,” she said.

“It happened before the New Year but it was almost like a bad start to the New Year because next year we are still going to be talking about this. Someone lost their life while the person wasn’t even on the road, it is very troubling,” she added.

And while Hewitt did not know the deceased, she expressed that no one should lose his or her life defending what they worked to achieve.

“You work hard for your things and then somebody feels like they should come and take it like that, and they were never there when you were working for it, that very out of order,” she argued.

She said that “the perpetrators should be ashamed of themselves.”

“Whosoever do this your time is coming, God not sleeping and you should be ashamed of yourself, go and work like everybody else, or one day you will try to rob the wrong person,” Hewitt said.