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| Imani Green shooting: Jamaica police arrest eight | Imani Green shooting: Jamaica police arrest eight |
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| Eight people have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of an eight-year-old British girl on holiday in Jamaica. | Eight people have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of an eight-year-old British girl on holiday in Jamaica. |
| Imani Green was killed in the quiet north coast town of Duncans on Friday night when a gunman opened fire at the shop where she was playing. | Imani Green was killed in the quiet north coast town of Duncans on Friday night when a gunman opened fire at the shop where she was playing. |
| She was hit twice – once in the head – and died on the way to hospital. Three of her relatives were also injured in the shooting. They are thought to be in a stable condition in hospital. | She was hit twice – once in the head – and died on the way to hospital. Three of her relatives were also injured in the shooting. They are thought to be in a stable condition in hospital. |
| Police believe Imani, from Balham in south London, may have been the accidental victim of a violent local feud. | Police believe Imani, from Balham in south London, may have been the accidental victim of a violent local feud. |
| Deputy Superintendent Steve Brown, from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, said eight suspects were being questioned. | Deputy Superintendent Steve Brown, from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, said eight suspects were being questioned. |
| He also dismissed suggestions the shooting was linked to gang warfare. | He also dismissed suggestions the shooting was linked to gang warfare. |
| "Over the last 24 hours there have been some developments where the police have taken eight persons into custody and we're confident we will make a breakthrough on this one very soon," he told the BBC. | "Over the last 24 hours there have been some developments where the police have taken eight persons into custody and we're confident we will make a breakthrough on this one very soon," he told the BBC. |
| "We've heard about gang warfare but we find it a bit difficult to believe because where the incident took place it is a sleepy community, nothing happens there. This is just an isolated incident but it could well link to a number of things and we are looking at all possibilities and following all the leads that we are getting." | "We've heard about gang warfare but we find it a bit difficult to believe because where the incident took place it is a sleepy community, nothing happens there. This is just an isolated incident but it could well link to a number of things and we are looking at all possibilities and following all the leads that we are getting." |
| It has been suggested Imani may have been the victim of a feud over an illegal lottery scam, the attack being a reprisal for a shooting last year. | It has been suggested Imani may have been the victim of a feud over an illegal lottery scam, the attack being a reprisal for a shooting last year. |
| The racket, which reportedly involves duping Americans into believing they have scooped the lottery and asking them to wire an "advance fee" to collect their winnings, has been linked to more than 500 murders over the past five years. | The racket, which reportedly involves duping Americans into believing they have scooped the lottery and asking them to wire an "advance fee" to collect their winnings, has been linked to more than 500 murders over the past five years. |
| The Jamaican government said police were conducting an "extensive investigation into the matter and will expend every effort to ensure that the perpetrator is apprehended and brought to justice". | The Jamaican government said police were conducting an "extensive investigation into the matter and will expend every effort to ensure that the perpetrator is apprehended and brought to justice". |
| Imani, who had sickle cell anaemia and had gone to Jamaica with the blessing of her school in the hope that the warm climate would ease her condition, had been on the island since 27 December and was due to return to London later this month. | Imani, who had sickle cell anaemia and had gone to Jamaica with the blessing of her school in the hope that the warm climate would ease her condition, had been on the island since 27 December and was due to return to London later this month. |
| One of her cousins, who witnessed the attack, said an unfamiliar car had pulled up near the general store at about 8.30pm on Friday. Seconds later, a masked man walked up to the shop and began shooting. | One of her cousins, who witnessed the attack, said an unfamiliar car had pulled up near the general store at about 8.30pm on Friday. Seconds later, a masked man walked up to the shop and began shooting. |
| The cousin, a teenage girl who did not want to give her name for fear of reprisals, said she had tried to grab Imani as soon as she realised what was going on. | The cousin, a teenage girl who did not want to give her name for fear of reprisals, said she had tried to grab Imani as soon as she realised what was going on. |
| "A car looked like it was reversing and a guy came and walked in," she said. "When I looked the man just come round and shoot at the place." | "A car looked like it was reversing and a guy came and walked in," she said. "When I looked the man just come round and shoot at the place." |
| The girl did her best to help Imani. "I looked and realised my little cousin was sat down right here," she said, pointing to the shop's freezer cabinet. "I grabbed her and she'd been shot in the head and she just dropped down." Her cousin's body, she said, had already gone limp. | |
| Imani's sister, Jamila Palmer, who was nearby, told the BBC: "We heard gunshots. We ran outside and shouted 'Imani! Imani! Imani!' | Imani's sister, Jamila Palmer, who was nearby, told the BBC: "We heard gunshots. We ran outside and shouted 'Imani! Imani! Imani!' |
| "I picked her up off the ground and realised she was still breathing. I flagged down a car and they drove us to hospital." | |
| Imani's mother, Donna, is understood to have left her daughter to play with her cousins at the store while she went shopping in the nearby town of Falmouth. She had been due to pick her up on her return, but let Imani play on because she was enjoying spending time with her family. | Imani's mother, Donna, is understood to have left her daughter to play with her cousins at the store while she went shopping in the nearby town of Falmouth. She had been due to pick her up on her return, but let Imani play on because she was enjoying spending time with her family. |
| On Sunday, the raw-board shack still bore the scars of the shooting. Among the dominoes, imported washing powder, packets of biscuits and bags of corn puffs, at least four bullet holes could be seen: one in the wooden counter; one in the back wall; one in a tin of paint, and one, oddly, behind the fridge – the result, perhaps, of a ricocheting round. | |
| Imani's uncle, Michael Brady, said the family was struggling to come to terms with what had happened. "We really feel it," he said. "Right now I can't work. I can't go out. I just cry. I just wake up and cry." | Imani's uncle, Michael Brady, said the family was struggling to come to terms with what had happened. "We really feel it," he said. "Right now I can't work. I can't go out. I just cry. I just wake up and cry." |