National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang says though he does not recommend a total halt on all public gatherings in communities, measures will have to be implemented to prevent harm and death at such events.

Dr. Chang’s comment follows yesterday’s shooting at a wake along Mandela Terrace in St. Andrew. Three people were shot dead while four others were wounded.

Yesterday’s incident comes on the heels of a similar mass shooting at a wake in Back Pastures, near Point Hill in St. Catherine last week. In that incident, one person was killed and seven others were wounded.

On August 11, eight people were killed and nine others wounded at a birthday party along Cherry Tree Lane in Clarendon.

When probed about a temporary pause on public gatherings in communities, Dr. Chang says such a blanket rule is not recommended.