A Jamaican cross-dressing young man was shot in the groin after he allegedly refused to hand over his handbag during what authorities call an attempted robbery in St. Andrew. The 19-year-old was injured while offering sexual services on Monday morning and has since been hospitalised.
Local news outlet Jamaica Observer reported that the armed men tried to rob the male sex worker on Robert Crescent in Cross Roads. The incident unfolded around 4:45 a.m. when the teen was allegedly offering sexual services along Grenada Crescent in New Kingston.
The 19-year-old was dressed as a woman and wore a wig. Based on the report, a man appeared and approached the teen, showing interest in him and requesting his services. The man was driving a grey Toyota Probox bearing public passenger plates.
According to the report, the teen entered the vehicle and instructed the man to drive to a guest house on Beechwood Avenue. The location is reportedly where he frequently visited for his sexual encounters.
Rather than heading to the guest house, the driver went to Robert Crescent, per police reports. That was when the driver withdrew a firearm and instructed the male sex worker to hand over his bag.
However, the teen refused and was subsequently shot by the driver for resisting. After sustaining a shot to the groin, the cross-dresser managed to escape as he fled the vehicle and ran towards the end of Robert Crescent. He then turned back and continued in the direction of Beechwood Avenue.
The 19-year-old eventually collapsed on the front steps of seemingly another guest house in the area. He was taken to the hospital after the police arrived on the scene.
Although his identity has not been disclosed, authorities revealed that the teen is a resident of Gordon Town, St Andrew. The police also said that while the investigation continues, their findings so far point to attempted robbery as the motive.
According to the Jamaica Observer, police also said that sex workers along Grenada Crescent expressed concern about the male cross-dressing sex worker soliciting services there. They told officers they wanted him to find a different place to work because he had been robbed on several occasions.