(CMR) A Jamaican footballer was shot and killed on his eighteenth birthday in Downtown, Kingston, on Friday, 22 April.
Omar Laing of St Andrew Technical High School and Cavalier FC was one of three persons who were shot in a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Charles Street and Orange Street shortly before 5:30 pm, the Jamaica Constabulary Force Corporate Communications Unit said.
Laing recently ended the ISSA Manning Cup season as the top goal scorer for his school and was named a part of the Cavalier FC squad. The club’s technical director Rudolph Speid said Laing had impressed in training and was a part of the squad due to travel to the 2022 Caribbean Club Championship next month in the Dominican Republic.
Speid told the Jamaica Gleaner that Laing “was somebody that we just started working with, and we liked what we saw. He was a good youth. We liked him. He liked his new teammates.”
The St Andrew Technical High School paid tribute to Omar Laing through its official Instagram page for the football team, stating that he was the ideal STATHS student.
“At this time, the football team, family, students, teachers, school body, and, by extension, the community are in grief. This is impossible for us to process, and it is difficult to digest. Omar was a fantastic player who gave his all for his team. His talent never stopped there, making him a true maroon warrior,” the post from the school said.
President of the Jamaica Football Federation, Michael Ricketts, expressed his condolences, calling his death “heartbreaking.”
“Every life lost in such a circumstance is awful, but it's more heartbreaking when it's someone so young and promising,” Ricketts added.
“Our hearts go out to his family, friends, school, and club. We are heartbroken for you. We are hopeful that the authorities will be able to apprehend the offenders swiftly,” he said.
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