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16-year-old Jamaican teenager killed by a shark while fishing alone, reports say

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16-year-old Jamaican teenager killed by a shark while fishing alone, reports say

A 16-year-old boy was attacked and killed by a shark in Jamaica earlier this week, reports say.

The teen left home and went spearfishing alone early Monday in Trelawny, a northern parish about 20 miles east of Montego Bay, a popular tourist destination, CBS reported.

He was identified as Jahmari Reid, a tenth grader at William Knibb Memorial High School in Falmouth, Jamaica, according to reporting by the Jamaica Star.

Jahmari’s whereabouts remained a mystery until Tuesday morning, when a group of fishermen spotted a body in the water with injuries consistent with a shark attack, according to CBS. According to the Jamaica Star, Jahmari’s head and left hand were bitten off by the shark.

Robert Robinson, Jahmari’s uncle and a fisherman, said the family began to “grow concerned” when his nephew failed to return from the sea at his “usual time,” organizing a search party in an effort to locate him.

The Trelawny Police Division were investigating the incident.

How common are shark attacks in the US? Take a close look at the latest data.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Constabulary Communications Network and the Trelawny Police Division for additional information.

Family ‘in shock’ over loss

Michael Reid, Jahmari’s father, told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday that he “couldn’t believe” his son had gone out onto the water by himself and that his ultimately death was the outcome. 

 “Sad to know. I feel so bad,” Reid told the outlet. 

His son’s spearfishing hobby was often a source of conflict, with Reid discouraging his son from practicing it regularly.

““It is something that we argue about, we fight about. He’s not doing it for a worthy cause, he’s not doing it for needs or anything,” Reid told the Jamaica Observer. “It is what it is still. Can you believe it?”

Are shark attacks common in Jamaica?

There have only been three confirmed cases of “unprovoked shark attacks” in Jamaica, according to The International Shark Attack File, a comprehensive database of all known global shark attacks by the Florida Museum of Natural History.

However, there was an increase in both the number of unprovoked shark attacks and the number of fatalities in 2023 compared to the previous year around the world, according to the ISAF.

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