Jamaica: PM Andrew Holness orders urgent action after three killed in Kidd Lane attack

Jamaica: Three individuals including two women and a one-year-old boy were shot and killed in a shooting and arson attack incident on Kidd Lane in St Andrew, Jamaica on the Friday night, October 9, 2026. The attack has prompted a murder investigation into the case, along with the concern regarding rising violence in the community.

According to the reports available, the victims have been identified as 30-year-old Lashane Ellis, her one-year-old infant son, Kaheel Daley and 39-year-old Kimeisha Gibson. The incident took place in the Kidd Lane locality, near Spanish Town Road and Waltham Park Road, within the St Andrew South Police Division.

Based on the information provided by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the attack took place at around 11:45 p.m. Police were informed about the incident after the nearby residents allegedly heard explosive sounds which appeared to be of gunfire and found that a residence was on fire.

Initial reports inform that the equipped men went inside the residence where Ellis and her infant son were present, the suspects eventually opened fire and set the house on fire. The attackers subsequently went after a neighbouring house to attack, where Gibson was shot and murdered. After the incident the victims escaped the scene.

The officers who responded at the incident site found Gibson's body at the back of the property, bearing several gunshot injuries. Firefighters from the Trench Town Fire Station extinguished the residence set on fire.

Later the body remains of a woman and an infant were discovered inside the fire-damaged property. According to the investigators the remains are of Ellis and her son.

Based on the updated report, released on October 10, the JCF informed that the investigators had identified 11 individuals under police scrutiny and sought for questioning in association with the recent incident. Police also stated that these persons of interest are being identified as part of investigations into the killings and continuous gang-related violence in the Kidd Lane and Bowens Road communities.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness also expressed his condolences for the people who died in the attack and ordered the National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang to deal with the case with urgent attention.