NEWS IN BRIEF

Double murder in Bull Bay

The Kingston East police are probing the murder of two persons who were shot to death Friday night as gunmen moved from one location to the next in a community called Pleasant View in Bull Bay, St Andrew.

Dead are 50-year-old Lennox ‘Zaggy’ Smikle, a carpenter of Evans Lane in the community; and 37-year-old Tafina Thomas, a vendor, also of Eight Miles, Bull Bay.

Reports from the Elletson Road police are that at about 9:36 p.m. on Friday, gunmen approached Smikle along Rasta Lane in the community and opened gunfire, hitting him in the upper body.

Shortly after, the gunmen went to Thomas’ house, kicked open the door and shot her multiple times.

Residents summoned the police and both were taken to hospital where Smikle was pronounced dead on arrival. Thomas later succumbed to her injuries.

Detectives are urging anyone with information that can assist the police to contact them at 876-928-420, Crime Stop at 311, or the police 119 emergency number.

MP Rhoda Moy Crawford suffers minor injuries in Manchester crash

A vehicle in which Manchester Central Member of Parliament Rhoda Moy Crawford was travelling was involved in a two-car crash along the Knockpatrick main road in the parish yesterday afternoon.

“We were turning onto Towers Street when a speeding motor vehicle slammed into the vehicle carrying my family and me,” Crawford told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday.

She said she and her relatives escaped with minor injuries, but went to a medical facility for further checks.

Soldier injured in Washington Boulevard crash

A member of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) was injured in a crash early yesterday morning, at approximately one o’clock, along Washington Boulevard in St Andrew.

A JDF spokesperson told The Sunday Gleaner that the injured soldier was taken to the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine for treatment and was subsequently transferred into the care of military medical personnel.

It was reported that the female driver of the other vehicle in the crash sustained minor injuries.

The JDF spokesperson said the circumstances surrounding the accident are being investigated.

Tropical Storm Earl expected to become a hurricane

Tropical Storm Earl has begun to intensify northeast of Puerto Rico and is now expected to become a hurricane.

‘Earl’ formed late Friday evening after hurricane hunters found a closed centre and winds of 40 mph.

Since then, ‘Earl’ has been fighting with wind shear and is a lopsided system. Much of the thunderstorm activity is being pushed eastward from the system. Despite this, slow intensification is expected.

Forecast models suggest this area could develop and head slowly west-northwest to an area near or north of the Lesser Antilles yesterday. Some additional showers and thunderstorms are possible from Puerto Rico to Barbados this weekend. Between two and four inches of rainfall are expected. Rip currents and rough surf are also possible.

This system will likely then turn more northward into the western Atlantic with time. Intensification is likely as it moves northward away from the Caribbean.

‘Earl’ would be the second hurricane of the season.

‘Danielle’ became 2022’s first hurricane in the Atlantic Basin on Friday, but has since had fluctuations in intensity. It poses no land threat as it meanders in the North Atlantic the next several days.

‘Danielle’ is over 900 miles west of the Azores, or a little more than halfway between southeast Newfoundland and the Azores in the North Atlantic Ocean.

It currently remains adrift near where it formed.

‘Earl’ and ‘Danielle’ will likely remain far from land.