A St. James community is in shock after a brutal gun attack on Saturday night claimed the lives of a police officer’s wife and young son, leaving the officer himself hospitalized. The incident occurred in Reading, along the busy Unity Hall main road, and is now the subject of an intense police investigation.
According to official reports, the officer — who is assigned to the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Lottery Scamming Task Force — was driving with his family when a group of armed men launched an ambush. Without warning, the attackers opened fire on the moving vehicle, striking all three occupants.
The officer’s wife, 36-year-old Latoya Stephenson, a resident of West Village in Montego Bay, sustained critical injuries and was rushed to hospital, where she later died despite emergency efforts. Their young son also suffered fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead shortly after the attack.
The wounded officer was transported to hospital under police guard and remains in serious condition. His exact medical status has not been made public, but colleagues have confirmed he is receiving treatment.
Police investigators have not yet identified a motive for the deadly shooting. However, given the officer’s role in tackling lottery scamming operations — a lucrative and dangerous criminal trade in Jamaica — authorities are not ruling out the possibility that the attack was targeted.
Meanwhile, law enforcement sources have named a man known only as “Romario” as a person of interest in connection with the case. Detectives are urging him to surrender to the nearest police station immediately. A manhunt is currently underway as officers comb sections of St. James and neighboring parishes in search of leads.
The attack has left residents of Reading and Montego Bay shaken. Several community members described the victims as “quiet, family-oriented people” and expressed outrage at the violence.
Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson is expected to issue a statement on the matter in the coming days, as the JCF works to reassure the public and bring those responsible to justice.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Montego Bay Police at (876) 684-9080, the JCF tip line at 311, or Crime Stop at (876) 311-1111.