WESTERN BUREAU:

Three members of the same family were shot, two fatally, as they sat inside their business place on King Street in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday afternoon.

Dead are Jermaine Samuels, 31, and his stepson Tajay 'Chad' Malcolm, 14, a student of the Mount Salem Junior High School, while injured is Samuels' stepdaughter, Pretania Malcolm, 18.

Reacting to the incident, People's National Party caretaker for North West St James, Henry McCurdy, said the Bruce Golding administration must act fast in passing anti-crime legislation.

Yesterday's killings brought to 159 the number of murders committed in St James since January, compared to 119 for the corresponding period last year.

Up to yesterday evening, the Montego Bay police were still trying determine the motive behind the shooting.

Eyewitnesses said that about 3 p.m. yesterday, Samuels, his stepchildren and wife were all at a beauty salon which Pretania operates. Samuels and Tajay were sitting at the front while Pretania and her mother were inside.

Rescued by a passer-by

They were pounced on by armed men who opened fire, hitting Samuels and Tajay in their chests, each receiving a single gunshot wound. Samuels was cuddling his toddler, but the infant fell on the floor and was rescued by a passer-by.

The gunmen then turned their weapons on Pretania, shooting her in the side. Her mother, The Gleaner understands, jumped through a window to escape being killed.

Shortly after the incident, several residents and relatives from the King Street area swooped down on Madden's funeral home to mourn the untimely deaths.