Chang condemns ‘senseless’ deadly Denham Town attack

Minister of National Security and Peace, Dr Horace Chang, has strongly condemned Saturday’s gun attack in Denham Town, Kingston that left a three-year-old boy dead and his eight-year-old brother and their father injured.

Chang described the deadly incident as senseless.

He said preliminary reports indicate that the child was fatally shot amid a resurgence of gang violence linked to turf control in the area.

“I am deeply distressed and outraged by this senseless shooting in Denham Town. At three years old, this child should have been surrounded by love, laughter and protection — not caught in the crossfire of criminal violence. This tragedy is a painful reminder that when violence erupts in our communities, it is often the most vulnerable who suffer the gravest consequences,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

“The perpetrators of this heinous act must and will be held accountable. I want to make it unequivocally clear: violence against our children is an attack on the very future of this nation. The police and the Ministry of National Security and Peace will not relent in our efforts to dismantle criminal networks and to disrupt the cycles of retaliation and gang conflict that place innocent lives at risk,” he added.

Chang, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, is urging anyone with information to come forward and assist the police so that those responsible may be apprehended and brought to justice.

He said the Ministry is committed to intensifying preventive strategies, noting that enforcement alone is not sufficient to break the cycle of violence.

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