Fast-rising dancehall artist, Al’Qual, was shot and killed in Kingston.
The deejay was shot dead early Wednesday morning by an unidentified individual or group in an incident at the intersection of Sandringham and Burlington Avenues in Kingston 10. Al’Qual, whose real name was Amanual Eccleston, is a well-known deejay residing on Lancaster Avenue in Kingston.
According to police reports from the Half-Way-Tree Police department, local residents heard gunshots at around 1:00 AM on Wednesday (March 1) and called in law enforcement. When cops arrived on the scene, they discovered Eccleston lying on the ground in a pool of blood with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The artist was signed to Push a Yute Records, founded by Vivian Thomas, who spoke with the Observer about Al’Qual’s death.
“I got the call this morning and I was shocke,” Thomas said. “Anyone who knows Al’Qual knows that he is a good youth, he is not involved in criminal activities, or anything shady. Ah just straight music him pree everyday trust me. Jamaica gone. The place unstable, he had so much potential. I cannot believe this all now.”
Al’Qual signed a deal with Push a Yute Records in 2021 and has been working on a project since. Before joining the label, the young deejay was the resident deejay in his community who built a reputation for clashing with other artists. Al’Qual is best known for his songs like “Subzero,” “Survival,” “Think Smart,” and “Long Time.”
Eccleston is only the latest victim in a series of shooting incidents across the island since the start of the year. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a number of dancehall artists losing their lives to gun violence.
