Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby has urged residents of Mona Commons in St Andrew not to take matters into their own hands following the murder of one of their own at the Papine Market.

Colleen Bernard was gunned down Friday afternoon at the market, where she was a supervisor.

In a video release on Sunday, Swaby called on the nearby Mona Commons community to remain calm and allow the police to carry out their investigation into the incident.

“In situations like this, persons tend to want to put their own analysis on the situation, and we don’t know [details],” Swaby said.

He also said staff  of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) have been plunged into mourning over Bernard’s murder.

“She was a good worker,” Swaby, who chairs the KSAMC, said.

“It was a senseless killing, for someone to walk into the market and shoot her and try to escape,” he added.

He commended the police who pursued and eventually caught the killer, who was shot by the lawmen and is currently in the hospital receiving treatment.

The mayor added that the parish council will be looking at how it can beef up security and provide counselling for staff and vendors at the market.