TRELAWNY, Jamaica— A man claiming to be the uncle of 16-year-old student Jahmarie Reid, who is suspected of being killed in a shark attack in Falmouth, Trelawny, has rebutted statements made by the police that beaches in the parish are safe for swimming and not overrun with sharks.

Commander of the Trelawny Police Division, Superintendent Winston Milton sought to assure the public that beaches in the parish are safe for swimming and not overrun with sharks. He stated that after consulting with marine interests and the fisherfolk within the area of concern, there was no evidence to indicate a shark infestation.

However, the uncle who says he has been fishing for almost 28 years, posted a video on TikTok on Wednesday recounting the incident. He stated that a shark returned to the area while they were recovering Reid’s body from the water on Tuesday.

READ: William Knibb student killed in suspected shark attack

“He (Reid) went missing on Monday. He go to sea on Monday 6:00 am. Monday 6:00 pm me notice him nuh come from sea so me go over the station and make a report say him missing. However, they intend to call the coast guard and make them go and make a check. They didn’t turn up so we tell them that tomorrow, which would be the Tuesday, we would go and make a check because we probably know the area weh him swim inna daily,” the man said.

“When we go we find him hand one side and we find him body one side without head,” the man added.

“In the process of taking up his body here comes the shark. About four boat a we go out deh. We shoot after the shark twice and the shark swim away and come back, decide him nah lef because him know say him make a kill. And a because we take the body out of the water make him nuh come back and finish eat off the youth,” the man said in the video.

He suspected that Reid met his end after catching a big fish, which attracted the shark’s attention.

“Nutten more than the youth shoot a big fish. When him shoot the big fish the shark attack him and when the shark attack him and eat the fish, worse if the youth get a cut… from the youth get a cut the shark ago come back and eat him. Unuh don’t want see the sight of the body,” the uncle posited.

He also refuted Superintendent Milton’s report that Reid was found two miles from the shore.

READ: Amid shark scare, Trelawny top cop says beaches safe for swimming

“So nuh listen to anybody who don’t know nothing bout sea; them foot never wet, they have never been to a beach fi swim much less fi go out inna the deep and the yute barely dead a mile away from the land. It’s so close, next to the ship pier,” he added.

He went on to share that he has seen the shark several times, and even escaped a shark attack while at sea due to his years of fishing experience— the lack of which he believes caused his nephew’s death.

“A several of time the shark rush me but [because of] my experience me know how fi overcome that. The youth nuh have no experience of going through a shark attack when him out at sea. Him nuh go through dem things deh, him young,” he said.