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It has been revealed that a molotov cocktail was found at the location where a homeless man was set on fire on Monday at National Heroes Circle.
The police said that Lionel Johnson, who was found suffering from severe burns on Monday morning, later died.
Senior Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Corporate Communications Unit, said the early morning incident was unlike other recent acts of violence against homeless persons.
SSP Lindsay, who spoke Tuesday on Radio Jamaica’s Beyond the Headlines, disclosed that Mr. Johnson was found alive shortly after he was attacked.
A $500,000 reward is being offered by the Ministry of Local Government Ministry & Rural Development for information on Mr. Johnson killers.
Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie has announced that since Mr Johnson's killing, teams from his ministry have been encouraging homeless persons in the Corporate Area to use night shelters.
He acknowledged that there are certain challenges in getting all of them off the streets, given that “they sleep in all areas” of the capital city.
Notwithstanding those efforts, a founding member of the charity, Missionaries of the Poor, is calling for an increase in the number of night shelters to accommodate the homeless.
More shelters
Father Hayden Augustine, speaking also on Beyond the Headlines, said that there has been an increase in the homeless population since the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby compounding the challenge.
"We get calls every day to take in more people; we are packed up," he said, in reference to the facilities operated by his organization.
He cited loss of jobs, decline in income and a rise in poverty as factors which have caused some people to lose their houses or be driven out of their accommodations.
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