KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness, says that all resources necessary will be deployed to bring to justice the perpetrator(s) involved in the killing of 31-year-old Kemisha Wright and her four children in the town of Chapelton in the central parish of Clarendon, on Tuesday
The children are Kimana Smith, 15, Shemari Smith, 10, Kafana Smith, 5 and 23-month-old Kishaun Henry.
In a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Holness strongly condemned the “heinous and senseless act of violence”.
He noted that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has started its investigations and appealed to persons with information to come forward.
“The police, the Minister of National Security, have assured me that they are going to be putting all the resources into ensuring that the perpetrator is caught and brought to justice.
“I want to express my deep sympathies to the family of young Kemisha and her children and to let them know that the entire nation is praying for them and surrounding them with love and support,” the Prime Minister said.
Holness decried the act as a “new low in the level of violence in the society” and urged all Jamaicans to turn away from violence as a means of resolving disputes and conflict.
“All Jamaicans must unequivocally condemn the murder of four innocent children and their mother… This is not just domestic dispute. This murder represents an attack on our civility, an attack on our sensibilities and it is an attack on our nation,” he said, urging an all-of-society approach and commitment to stamping out violence.
Meanwhile, the police, later in the day reported that the person of interest in the killing of four children and their mother is still being sought.
According to reports, shortly before dawn, the bodies of Kemisha Wright and her children were discovered. All had their throats slashed.
The person of interest has been identified as 23-year-old Rushane Barnett. (CMC)