KINGSTON, Jamaica — A State of Public Emergency has been declared for the parish of Clarendon for a period of 14 days.

The announcement was made by Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

The State of Public Emergency follows Sunday evening’s mass shooting in the community of Cherry Tree Lane in Four Paths, Clarendon, which resulted in the deaths of eight people and the injury of four others.

READ: Eight killed, several injured in Clarendon gun attack

Chang stated that an evaluation will be conducted towards the end of the period to determine whether an extension is necessary for security forces to restore normalcy in the parish.

“Our informed assessment is that the high levels of violent criminal activity experienced within the specified area are of such nature and extensive scale that they endanger public safety,” Dr Chang said.

He continued, “This large single account of murders within the parish of Clarendon is attributed to ongoing violence within the division that had reached a tenuous magnitude, resulting in the eventual perpetration of murders as a means of intimidation and, further as a form of reprisal as gangs seek to dominate existing turf to gain new turf.”