21-year-old private Reneil King was airlifted from the battlefield after being shot in the head by men who were reportedly loading cannabis on a boat in milk river, Clarendon sometime after 8 Thursday evening.
A source says they waited desperately, to get the young soldier out of the bushes as he became unresponsive. King was taken to the May Pen Hospital where he was then transferred to the University Hospital of the West Indies. He succumbed to his injuries early Friday morning. CVM Live understands that the joint military operation was driven by intelligence. It is reported that the security team arrived in the area sometime after 6:30 pm when they observed men leaving in a boat. The men later returned while the security team was conducting search operations and upon confrontation, a gunfight began.
Reports from the Jamaica Defense Force are that over two thousand nine hundred pounds of compressed ganja and a boat were recovered from the scene. The news has devastated King’s family, who are yet to come to grips with his tragic passing. Prime minister, Andrew Holness while expressing condolence to private king’s family and colleagues says the security forces will not be deterred.