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It happened last week. But I think you might have the wrong Kenny. This occurred at Keney's Chinese, not Kenny' Italian Cafe.
Sad, I know it happens everywhere in the world but in a tourist town it can really have a negative outcome. Wish everyone could just get along. We really need a Bob Marley in these times to come together. My condolences to all involved.
From the limited details in the article, it sounds to me like he was targeted. As unfortunate as this may be, it doesn’t make me feel any more at risk, and I still wouldn’t hesitate to return to Negril.
Been visiting Negril for 30 years, agree, this will not stop us regulars from returning every year.
But is still sad.
I agree with JohnNYC, SOUNDS LIKE A PROFESSIONAL HIT to me. Was in Umbertos In Little Italy in NYC eating ,2 nites later Joe Gallo was shot a few tables from where we were sitting around the same time of night. Growing up in the city unfortunately murder is a sad common occurrence as it is everywhere worldwide. Been coming to Negril over 30 years and have never had a problem and will continue to come. Probably would like to be laid out in the funeral parlor in Lucea and buried in Negril.
I couldn't agree more..after 26 years of visits to Jamaica...spending most of my visit in Negril.....I've never felt unsafe at any time..day or night...I'm about 55 miles NW of downtown Chicago where there's definite safety issues sad to say. That's what really angered me when the US & Canada put that ridiculous travel warning on Jamaica last year during high season...don't know about Canada but the US needs to take a hard look in their own back yard before pointing fingers!!
Ok, I get it.if it’s a hit it’s all good and kosher. My bad.
Kudos to the pros of Negril! We had just finished dinner at Brenda's on the Boulevard. The police came in, spoke to Brenda. Brenda had been told to close up and send her guests home. A friend of hers was there, and she told us he would take us back to our hotel. Not realizing the seriousness of the situation in that moment, we said we were OK and would walk or get a red plate. She said "No. You're going back now, and with my friend. He'll get you there quickly and safely. NOW." End of argument. When we got to the hotel, Pure Garden, the jerk chicken guy who is always there, made good and sure we went into the property quickly. Everything between PG and Brenda's had been closed. Sorry it happened, but as so many others have posted, it can happen anywhere. You're right, Rooster - we need to get our own back yards in order before we point fingers!
Great, I finally talked my wife into going back. We had just got home from our last reach in May 2016, when we heard about the murder of a tourist about 50 yards from where our room was up on the west end.Now I doubt I’ll ever get her to go back. You can say it can happen anywhere all you want, but we do not live in an environment where murders occur, so why would we want to go where they do? We are already booked for April, will have a hard time getting her to board the plane.
A quick Google search allows you to discover statistics such as murder rate per capita. The numbers in relation to Jamaica are chilling. Let's not bury our heads in the sand here. This is a real problem and shouldn't be downplayed. Saying it's just as bad elsewhere, or that you're safer in JA than at home, is most likely not actually true.
Crime (especially murders) are mainly a Jamaican on Jamaican or commonly referred to as "black on black" crime. As a tourist, you are mostly a protected species. Yes, a rare murder occurs involving a tourist but many of those are when a tourist gets involved in matters they shouldn't be involved with and in places they should not go.
Academic debating on who is safer and where is safer depends a lot on who you are and where you come from. From my vantage point of decades living and visiting in rural Jamaica, I feel safer there than in Palm Beach County Florida.
JMO
No, it is not good! Like Rooster I also live just NW of Chicago and there's not a day that goes by where the news is not filled with shootings. So many times the victim is not the intended target but rather caught in the crossfire. Will I still go to Negril? Yes, but this desturbs me greatly. I used to go to Mexico regularly.... but no more do to the violence there. Something needs to be done in JA before it affects its tourism. I think of how many times I've been to Kenny's. This is hitting too close to home!
I never said it was a good thing. My point is I personally don’t feel at risk because of it. This was not random and could’ve happened anywhere. I live in NYC where unfortunately murder is not too rare an occurrence. If someone was the victim of a targeted shooting at a certain location, it doesn’t mean I’ll avoid that location. The reason for the shooting wasn’t the location being a high risk place, it was the individual having an enemy finding him (or her) there.
I know the mother of the man who was shot and the last thing she would want would be for this to start grief for anyone.
The observation that this was a "hit" is an accurate observation. All the news stories were written from that perspective so the inference is natural.
Living here on a daily basis, discussion of such things using statistics puts a blind eye on the real concerns. Without knowledge of the who's and why's allows one to bury their head in the sand of their own preconceived bias.
The statistics mentioned above leave out a crucial point. The number of tourist related incidents is virtually non existent. To suggest otherwise is simply not true.
The single main reason is the lotto scam. And what fuels it is greed on both ends of the phone call. To combat the problem, serious consideration needs to be given to international prosecution on both ends for all parties involved.
John.....I meant no offense to you. We both live in cities where crime is out of control. I just feel sorry for all of us as a society how desensitized we’ve become to shootings intended or not. I have visited Negril 2-3 x yr for many years. It is my paradise and escape. It makes me sad when stories like this come out. I’m hoping by expressing our concerns will push those who have an invested interest in Negril (both local and nation wide) to maybe figure out what needs to be done to preserve what we’ve all come to love. Not just for us as tourists but also for all the good people living there and the friends I’ve made. I know they’re already trying hard but they need to be reminded time to time of our concerns.
Noworries4me, it’s all good. I didn’t take offense, just wanted to make my post clear. Besides, I’m a New Yorker with very thick skin. Take a lot more than something like that to insult me.
Now that Rob has mentioned the victim’s family members, I feel ashamed not one of us thought of the victim or his family. We’re all worried about our prescious vacation paradise.
May he Rest In Peace, May his family get over the grief, and I hope he didn’t leave any little ones behind.
Thread closed due to insensitive comments which have been removed.