A dancehall artiste was shot and killed by unknown assailants at the intersection of Sandringham and Burlington Avenues in Kingston 10 this morning.

The artiste, Al’Qual, given name Amanual Eccleston, is of a Lancaster Avenue, Kingston 10 address.

Reports from the Half-Way-Tree Police are that about 1:00 am, residents heard explosions and summoned them. On arrival of the lawmen, Eccleston was seen lying on the ground with gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Music industry insiders say they are shocked by the youngster’s murder.

“I got the call this morning and I was shocked. Anyone who knows Al’Qual knows that he is a good youth, he is not involved in criminal activities, or anything shady. Ah just straight music him pree everyday trust me. Jamaica gone. The place unstable, he had so much potential. I cannot believe this all now,” Vivian Thomas, chief executive officer of Push a Yute Records, told OBSERVER ONLINE.

No motive has yet been established for the killing.

In 2021, Al’Qual inked a deal with the label, Push a Yute Records. Before that, he carved out a reputation for clashing other DJs and artistes, which resulted in him becoming known as more of a clash artiste lyrically. He cultivated a decent underground following with tracks like Think Smart and Subzero.

He recorded a single called Long Time which was released on the Chase Mills Records label in December 2021.