Mon | May 11, 2026

UPDATED: Patron shot as man attacks security guard after social distancing dispute

Published:Friday | May 1, 2020 | 12:00 AM
The injured man was rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital, where he was admitted.

WESTERN BUREAU:
A patron at a Burger King outlet in Montego Bay, St James was shot and injured this afternoon after a gunman fired at a security guard with whom he had an earlier altercation.

According to the police, some time after 3 p.m, the attacker turned up at the Westgate Shopping Centre and was asked by the security guard to follow the social distancing protocol.

The attacker reportedly resisted and during a verbal clash, assaulted the security guard.

It is reported that during the altercation, the security guard used his baton to hit the attacker several times.

The attacker subsequently left the scene and soon returned with a handgun and opened fire at the security guard, the police reported.

The security guard reportedly fled unscathed but one of the bullets hit a male patron in the fast-food establishment.

The shooter then ran into a waiting motorcar, which sped away.

Meanwhile, the injured man was rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital, where he was admitted.

NOTE: An earlier version of this story had quoted the police as incorrectly saying the attacker had visited a water store on the Westgate complex. He had, in fact, visited the fast food outlet.

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