Burnt house along Featherbed Lane in Spanish Town, St Catherine, yesterday. - Rasbert Turner

An elderly woman has been hospitalised for serious injuries after she was attacked and shot in her home along Featherbed Lane on Saturday morning. Her attackers later firebombed her house to the ground.

Three other members of her family were also left homeless as a result of the attack.

The incident, which left the 61-year-old woman suffering from gunshots wounds, occurred about 3:30 a.m.

Reports from the police are that the senior citizen was at home with the others when a group of gunmen invaded the yard and fired shots hitting the woman. Before leaving, they firebombed the house burning it flat, two motor vehicles were also burnt.

When The Starvisited the scene yesterday, there was still smoke and a strong burning scent coming from the area where the house once stood.

"This is not good, it wicked. There were four of them inside when dem bun it dung," a relative said.

wicked things

"Dem ya man ya nah laugh. Dem nuh care, a coulda baby pon breast. Weh dem shoot di ole woman for?" another resident asked. "A soon back to school and violence nah go make things no better. Dem fi lego di vibes," the resident added.

Other residents said the incident is a wake-up call.

"This is a warning to us, that the criminals not playing around, them wi come in and do all type of wicked things," she said.

The Spanish Town police confirmed reports of the attack and told THE STAR that based on preliminary investigations, their intelligence gathered indicates that the elderly woman may not have been the primary target.

A source revealed to THE STAR the attack may be stemming from an on-going feud within the area.

The police are encouraging anyone with information to come forward and speak to the police.

The identity of the woman has not been released pending further investigation.

Reports are that neither the house nor its contents were not insured, the estimated damage was not established. Two units from the Spanish Town Fire Department were called and they conducted cooling down operations.

The Spanish Town Fire Department and the police are conducting investigations into the matter.

Additional reporting by Andre Williams