ALTHOUGH the country is increasingly benumbed by the unceasing murders
— four per day, according to 2023 police statistics
— now and again a particular killing stands out and grabs the attention of the nation.

Last Friday gunmen snuffed out the life of 29-year-old Mr Ceejay Cunningham, the Manchester resident who had the distinction of being the 2022 Prime Minister Youth Awardee for Excellence in Agriculture and Agro-processing.

Unless and until the police who are investigating his demise can tell us that it was more than a case of death by association, as being said on the streets, we join with Prime Minister Mr Andrew Holness in saluting Mr Cunningham as “a promising, young entrepreneur and beloved member of the community of Chantilly District in Manchester”.

Police said the multitalented Mr Cunningham was shot dead in Davyton in the central parish while working on a tiling project.

Last year the
Jamaica Observer reported that the young man had been exposed to farming from as early as age 11, planting corn, sugar cane, and mint.

Importantly, the prime minister noted that Mr Cunningham’s innovative approach to farming and his dedication to his community were evident in every aspect of his work.

“His passion for farming and entrepreneurship was recognised as he was the owner and chief executive officer of Fairwoods Farm JA, with a quarter-acre vegetable farm equipped with greenhouse technology.

“He was also a graduate of the Southwest TVET Institute, obtaining several HEART/NSTA certifications. Through hard work and dedication Ceejay exemplified the spirit of resilience and innovation in our youth,” Mr Holness said.

Councillor for the Bellefield Division Mr Mario Mitchell also stressed that Mr Cunningham was hard-working and contributed to society in a positive way.

“I am trying to determine what is the reason behind such a gruesome act on a promising young man who has done nothing than to lift the community and put it in a positive light,” he said.

“It is something that we must get to the bottom of; we must find out what exactly is happening in terms of that context,” added Mr Mitchell.

And so must all of us as a society with a vested interest in wiping out the gunmen.

The police report that 1,393 people were murdered in Jamaica last year. That figure was supposed to represent a 7.8 per cent reduction in murders over the previous year. But we know of no one who has been consoled by that report.

Hidden in the report was the fact that 1,800 children fell victim to violent crimes during 2023. Although not all were murders, the numbers betray the deep, dark hole out of which our nation needs to dig itself.

In this space we continue to press our politicians to get over their inflated egos and bring their parties together to lead a united Jamaica in the fight against crime, for which they and their predecessors bear grave responsibility.

The good people in Jamaica, like Mr Cunningham, must not be left to wallow in despair while gunmen maim and kill with impunity, even as the Government continues to be “committed” to all manner of policies and programmes that seem to bear no fruit.

The brutal murder of Mr Cunningham is gunmen thumbing their noses at authority and saying, “In your face, Jamaica!”