Police in Jamaica impose curfews after recent shootings leave 5 dead and 10 injured

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Authorities in Jamaica have imposed curfews following two recent shootings in which five people were killed and 10 others injured as suspected gang violence rattles the Caribbean island.

The most recent shooting occurred on Tuesday night after unidentified gunmen drove past a group of people in the capital, Kingston, and opened fire. Six people were injured, including at least two children, according to local media reports.

A separate shooting occurred on Sunday northwest of the capital, where five people were killed in the town of Linstead, including a 4-year-old girl, according to the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, along with high-ranking police and government officials, visited Linstead on Monday as residents mourned the victims.

Police have not said what motivated the killings.

The island of 2.8 million people reported 522 killings as of Oct. 4, a 41 per cent drop compared with 883 killings reported in the same period last year, according to police statistics.

A record 1,683 homicides were reported in 2009.

Much of the violence in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean is blamed on guns illegally smuggled from the United States.

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The Associated Press