The Gleaner article linked by slimjim is interesting. Strange but interesting. I was first notified about this tragedy about 10pm on Friday night. That was when all the various different accounts started. It seems the Gleaner has spoken with and reported from some similar sources that I first spoke with on Friday night. I wonder who reported to them "It follows the early morning attack on a group of Canadian visitors along the West End road on Saturday that left one man dead."
I have never known 9pm Friday to be early morning Saturday. A 3am time Saturday was originally "reported" erroneously by a different news source. The fact checker at the Gleaner missed this one. And this is the first time I have heard in any version of the shooting that "It’s reported that while the three visitors were walking along the roadway, two sets of motorcyclists with pillions rode up."
The Gleaner does not state who "reported" this, just that "It''s reported". This has been an ongoing problem with all the varying stories that are being spread, even by new sources.
The Observer seems to be the most accurate thus far, actually revealing the sources of their information. This helps to add solid facts to the articles and not hearsay as the Gleaner has obviously "reported" with their Saturday morning statement.
Along those lines, I would like to set the record straight on a few comments made here. It was not the Commish who was quoted in print that there was no robbery attempt. The actual quote from the Observer is “Absolutely no effort was made to rob them,” a senior investigator close to the probe told the Jamaica Observer yesterday" (Sunday). Even a preliminary investigation would include speaking with the other two visitors involved in this tragic event, so the above quote is not hearsay, but an emphatic statement of fact. I posted the link to the entire article so you can read the full article to understand what had taken place up to that point.
And after reading the Gleaner article from yesterday, I am not surprised Marko talked with a police officer on Saturday morning who insinuated it was a robbery. The officer was just doing the best they could, going with what they had heard and tried to decipher the most likely scenario from all the stories as they had heard them. But the above quote was made by a senior investigator, who had at least an extra 24 hours to determine the fact they stated. The officer on Saturday morning did not have the luxury of access to that additional 24 hours of investigative information. The officer was stating what they heard up to that point to the best of their ability.
It takes time for any investigation to arrive at a conclusion and then more time for the news media to accurately report this conclusion. We encourage those who feel the need to express their concerns and feelings here, but we ask all to please refrain from adding speculation and rumor to this tragic event. We should respect the victim, his family and friends and wait for the facts to come out.
Thank you.
