NYC cop points finger at conflict in Jamaica for man’s death
NEW YORK, United States — Chief of Detectives for the New York Police Department (NYPD) Joseph Kenny has said that an ongoing conflict in Kingston, Jamaica is behind the death of 25-year-old Kardell Lester.
Kenny made the revelation while speaking at a news briefing on Tuesday.
Describing Lester’s death as a reprisal killing for a 2023 murder, Kenny said the incident stemmed from an ongoing dispute between warring groups from Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens.
“There’s been some violence back and forth between these groups,” said the chief.
“It starts in Jamaica and when they come across each other in southern Queens, they seem to get into it,” he added.
Kenny further shared that Lester was inside a building in Queens when gunfire erupted and resulted in the 25-year-old being shot in the head.
“It’s like a one in a million shot. [Lester] is standing in a hallway, [the bullet] goes through the hallway and hits him in the head,” Kenny continued.
Lester, who was visiting the United States from Jamaica, was killed in Queens, New York on May 4.
No arrests have been made.
