Police in Jamaica have claimed the shooting of a 33-year-old British tourist was a 'contract killing'.
Sean Patterson, a personal trainer from West London, was found dead on Monday (2 January) near the pool of his holiday accommodation in Bogue Hill, St James.
He had gunshot wounds to his upper body and head.
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In a video statement on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Fitz Bailey, who is in charge of the crime and security portfolio, said: “Our investigation so far has theorised that the murder was a contract killing that emanated from Britain.”
Mr Bailey said Mr Patterson had arrived in Jamaica on 29 December with another man from London. They had spent a number of days at an apartment before checking into the St James villa on New Year's Day.
They later met up with a third man – from Kingston – who was at the villa when Patterson was murdered.
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“[The Kingston man] reported that his back was turned to [Mr] Patterson when he heard several loud explosions [which] sounded like gunshots,” Mr Bailey said.
“He reported that he looked around and saw a lone man dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt with a handgun shooting [Mr] Patterson.”
The witness reportedly hid in the bushes, before police later arrived and found Mr Patterson in a “pool of blood” with “what appeared to be gunshot wounds to the upper-body and head”.
“There is no evidence (Mr) Patterson was robbed," said Mr Bailey, adding that local authorities are working with UK police and are making "significant progress".
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On Tuesday, a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson confirmed to the PA news agency they were currently “supporting the family of a British man who died in Jamaica and are in contact with the local authorities”.
Mr Patterson’s mother, Lesley Wright, told the Daily Mail that her son had travelled to Jamaica to meet family.
She said: “The local police have told me that Sean was at a big party over New Year and was sitting by a pool talking to friends.
“Someone pulled at his arm and he shrugged the person off but about four gunshots were fired immediately afterwards and Sean was hit in the upper body.
“I’ve lost my baby. No mother should have to bury her child. He’d gone to Jamaica with my godson and one of my best friends and had only been there for two days.”
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Wright went on to explain that her son was not the 'argumentative type' and she was at a loss over his death. She described him as the 'loveliest, sweetest boy and the kindest, most happy-go-lucky man'.
“We hope for justice and that my son’s killer is taken off the street where they can’t hurt anyone else and destroy another family," she added.
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