Jamaica: Man shoots trespassers for picking apples, one died

The incident took place on Thursday afternoon, and the deceased has been identified as Ryan Prendergast. According to police officials, both men are from Belfield, Penn.

Friday, 9th February 2024

Jamaica: Man shoots trespassers for picking apples, one died

Jamaica: In a shocking incident, two men were shot for picking apples in Belfield Penn, St Mary, Jamaica. One of them succumbed to his injuries, while the other managed to escape unharmed. The incident took place on Thursday afternoon, and the deceased has been identified as Ryan Prendergast. According to police officials, both men are from Belfield, Penn. The police officials further added that around 2:45 pm, two men went to a property in their community and picked apples from its garden. After picking the apples, they were rushing towards the exit of the property when they were confronted by another man. According to the officials, that man informed both the men who trespassed on his property that he was paying the lease for the property and questioned their authority to pick those apples from his garden. Reportedly, the man then pulled a firearm from his waistband, following which he started shooting towards both of them without any prior warning, resulting in Ryan Prendergast being hit on the upper body while the other man made a narrow escape and was unharmed. He informed the police officials of the incident, following which they rushed to the site only to find Prendergast dead from his gunshot injuries. The police also informed that the shooter had already fled from the area before they reached, and they are now actively investigating and finding him. The incident has garnered a lot of mixed reactions on the internet, with users finding it shocking to kill someone over picking apples. "I noticed in Jamaica, a lot of younger folks don't wanna farm and plant anything but want to reap someone else's crop, but still, a person shouldn't lose their life over some apple. The shooter fled, which simply means the shooting wasn't justified, and he'll be prosecuted," wrote a user named Taushus Dj-Kappa Dawkins. Another user said, "He was wrong to steal the apples, but you could give him a warning and don't kill him like a bird." A citizen of Jamaica also remarked, "My God look how many times i saw man in our apple tree and all i did is give him a bag to pick some for me."