Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams has described the recent attack on a family in Trelawny that resulted in the death of 15-year-old Jamila Cole as “another dark chapter in the spate of violent attacks on people in the country”.

She condemned the attack and expressed sadness at the passing of the 15-year-old student of Troy High School.

Cole, her mother, and her cousin were involved in a home invasion on Sunday, August 6, in which they were attacked and beaten by two masked men. Cole was taken to the hospital, where she died. Her mother remains hopitalised.

Reports are that the attack was due to an ongoing dispute involving members of the family.

Williams, in a release issued today, said that if the allegations of a prior argument are true, it does not justify the brutal attack on the mother and two girls.

“It is heart-rending that at a time when Jamaicans are supposed to be reflecting on our achievements as an independent nation, that criminal elements are bent on carrying out devious acts of violence,” the education minister said.

She noted that the Trelawny incident marks another tragic attack on the vulnerable in society and urged citizens to play their part to ensure that the guilty are persecuted by sharing any information that can assist the police with their investigations.