MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Head of the Manchester police, Superintendent Carey Duncan, says detectives are close to making a breakthrough in the murder of four-year-old Saniyah Obrien, days after the child and her father were attacked by gunmen in Landsettlement near Royal Flat in the parish.

“We have identified some persons who we believe can help us. I don’t want to call their names at this point, but we have identified some persons,” he said during Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Manchester Municipal Corporation.

“It is my belief based on our intelligence, our investigation that this child was not the target of this attack at all,” added Duncan.

On Monday, a senior police source told the Observer that detectives theorised that the gun attack may be linked to overseas crime players.

READ: Collateral blood

Superintendent Duncan is urging those involved in the shooting incident to surrender to the police.

“I implore persons to find an amicable way of resolving their issues other than violence. We recognised that this child was a victim of the circumstances, so I want to appeal to the persons who are so involved to appeal to your conscience to say that [you] made a mistake and [you] want to accommodate the conversation, so feel free to come in to us, because we are saying we have the information, we have the intelligence and we certainly will be leaving no stone unturned,” he said.

— Kasey Williams

An undated photo of four-year-old Saniyah Obrien