Jamaican Twitter users continue to criticise State Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Matthew Samuda, for ‘dismissive’ comments in response to a plea for intervention by Central Kingston caretaker Imani Duncan-Price on Thursday (December 30).

Duncan-Price, the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate in crime-plagued Central Kingston, tagged Prime Minister Andrew Holness after learning of the tragic death of 10-year-old Jezariah Tyrell.

Preliminary reports indicate armed men forced their way into a house on Wildman Street around 3:00 am as the occupants slept—pelting the premises in a hail of bullets.

Tyrell, who died en route to the hospital, was the third gun-related death in Central Kingston over the last 24 hours.

In her tweet, Duncan-Price said she received the harrowing details of the shooting and asked for more to be done in the area.

“‘Them shoot up house on wildman street an a little girl got shot an die on the way to the hospital. Approximately 2:50am’. That’s the msg I got this morning. #CentralKingston is bleeding. Please intervene to stop this spike in mayhem and murder led by the gangs! @AndrewHolnessJM,” Duncan-Price wrote.

Almost immediately, ardent Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporters slammed Duncan-Price and the wider PNP for being hypocrites, as the Government’s most recent attempts to extend States of Public Emergency (SOEs) were blocked by the Opposition.

Now, as the deaths are back on the uptick, Labourites told the caretaker she cannot have her cake and eat it too.

In his reply to Duncan-Price, Senator Samuda rebuked her for having “some nerve” amid the pleas for intervention, adding that the SOEs in Central Kingston worked well in “saving lives”.

“Here they are. After discontinuing the State of Public Emergency in Central Kgn which demonstrably saves lives. Some nerve. RIP Gizaria (sic). No child deserves this, no family deserves this. The GOJ is using all the available tools in the kit to fight back against violent crime,” Samuda tweeted.

Jamaicans, watching the interaction between the two politicians unfold on Twitter, called out Samuda for his ‘shameful response’.

The overwhelming sentiment from the Twitterati was that the senator’s remarks were surprisingly nonchalant to the reality of the area and bordered on gaslighting.

Others questioned whether Samuda needed to politicise little Jezariah’s death or make another attempt at pushing SOEs when whatever impact initially created by countermeasure gradually wanes each time it is announced.

More reactions:

A few more urged the Government to either invest more in intelligence gathering to fight crime or fully disclose the benefits of SOEs, if it is bent on keeping a temporary measure imposed ad infinitum.

NB*: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the victim’s name as Gizaria Tyrell. Clarification from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) indicated that the Tyrell’s correct spelling is Jezariah.