At least eight (8) people were murdered in 5 separate incidents across the country in the last 24 hours.

The incidents occurred in St. James, Kingston, St. Catherine, Portland and St. Thomas.

Three of the deceased have been identified as: Ricardo Grant of Dudleigh Burke Lane in Yallahs, St. Thomas, 55-year-old Marcia Smith, a higgler of Treadways District Linstead, St. Catherine and 62-year-old Joseph Powell, a farmer of Gordon district in Buff Bay, Portland.

The other 5 remain unidentified.

In the latest incident at around 10:30 last night, two men were found with gunshot wounds on Elletson Road, in Kingston.

Police report that they were found by residents, inside a gully.

The wounded men were taken to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

About an hour earlier, police in St. James responded to a triple murder in Mount Zion.

It’s reported that three men were found with gunshot wounds by residents.

They were taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Preliminary reports indicate that the men were killed in execution style.

And at about 9pm Grant was killed in his community in St. Thomas.

Reports are that he was chopped to death during a dispute with a relative.

Meanwhile, at around 7:30 pm smith was gunned down inside the Linstead Market, in St. Catherine.

Police say she was pounced upon by a gunman, who shot her in the head.

She died at hospital.

And over in Portland, Powell was found dead by residents.

The body had burn marks.

The police were summoned, and the body was removed.

The police are probing all 5 incidents.