Education and Youth Minister Fayval Williams has expressed condolences to the friends and family of 16-year-old Jahmarie Reid who is believed to have died from a shark attack while he was spearfishing at sea off the coast of Falmouth, Trelawny.
Reid, a student of William Knibb Memorial High School in the parish, was expected to matriculate into grade 11 when school reopened on September 2.
In using her address at Wednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing to reflect on Jahmarie’s life, the minister said she understands that he loved fishing.
Jahmarie Reid
“He’s remembered as a quiet student who didn’t give any trouble. May his soul rest in peace,” said Williams.
She added that the “phenomenon” of shark attacks is very rare in the Jamaican context.
“If you look up the records for Jamaica actually, there may only have been 13 such situations in 200 years in Jamaica, so this is a very unusual occurrence,” Williams suggested.
Jahmarie’s mutilated body, with head and a hand missing, was fished from the sea on Tuesday morning after he went missing on Monday.
The police are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to precisely establish the cause of the youngster’s death.
