UPDATE | Police hunting killers in Balcombe Drive double murder

Assistant Commissioner of Police Damion Manderson, the commanding officer for the St Andrew South Division, says investigators are working to unravel the deadly gun attack on Balcombe Drive in Olympic Gardens and track down those responsible.

Two men were killed and another person injured in the brazen attack on Sunday night, leaving residents fearful as a strong police presence was maintained in the area on Monday.

The killings come amid a significant decline in Jamaica’s overall murder figures, with National Security and Peace Minister Dr Horace Chang reporting to Parliament last week that up to October 6, there was a 24 per cent reduction compared with the same period last year.

Despite the national decline, police are continuing to grapple with deadly attacks in communities across the island. On Friday, there was a triple murder in Kidd Lane off Spanish Town Road, St Andrew, in which a one-year-old boy was killed.

One of the men killed on Balcombe Drive has been identified as 54-year-old Gregory Henderson, otherwise known as ‘Harry’, who lived in the area. The identity of the second man remains unknown, although residents say he was not from the surrounding community.

According to residents, the two men were seated on a bench at the intersection of Sunshine Corner and Balcombe Drive when a motor car drove up and its occupants opened fire.

The circumstances surrounding the attack remain under investigation.

Manderson says investigators are pursuing leads to establish what prompted the shooting and identify those responsible. The police are also appealing to anyone with information about the attack to come forward.

Chang, meanwhile, has cautioned that the reduction in murders cannot be taken for granted, despite the progress recorded so far this year.

“Five of the first nine months of 2026 are among the lowest monthly murder totals recorded in more than three decades. Additionally, the first three quarters of 2026 are the lowest quarterly murder totals recorded over that period,” Chang told Parliament.

Jamaica recorded 1,515 murders in 2022, 1,406 in 2023, 1,148 in 2024 and 674 in 2025.

Chang said the Government remained committed to its crime-fighting policies and had increased the strength of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, while investing in personnel, infrastructure, technology, equipment and mobility.

The police are urging anyone with information about Sunday night’s double murder to contact the St Andrew South police or Crime Stop as investigations continue.

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