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Spokesperson for Hear The Children Cry and attorney at law Priscilla Duhaney has expressed concern about members of the public possibly becoming desensitised about serious crimes, following the killing of nine-year-old Kelsey Cassidy Ferrigon in Job Lane, Spanish Town, St Catherine, last weekend.

Speaking with THE STAR yesterday, Duhaney said while residents may be fearful of showing their outrage publicly, matters of such nature should not be silenced.

"It would appear that we have become desensitised in our society and I am not sure if it is a matter of fear or if it's a matter of not being certain where our neigbours think, or if they are fearful of corruption and so forth. When it comes on to other areas of concerns, we seem to be very silent on these matters, and that is why we are calling out different stakeholders to jump on board, speak out and do something to gain the attention of the relevant persons to something about crime," she said.

"We have become so comfortable and we have become immune and we are basically becoming a silent society to matters of interest. We have not expressed our feelings concerning these types of heinous crimes and sometimes a lot of us as Jamaicans are more bark and no bite," Duhaney added.

Yesterday, Giovanni 'Coolie Man' Ellis, the man suspected of killing Kelsey, was fatally shot by the police during an alleged confrontation in Clarendon. The police reported that Ellis pointed a firearm in their direction after which he was shot. Duhaney said she is not entirely satisfied with the outcome, stating that a quick fix is not the best option for what she considered to be a national crisis.

"I am not particularly satisfied if I may say what transpired. The minister (Dr Horace Chang) said that there will be a $2-million reward and then we just hear that the suspect is killed. Is it that we are being silent in another way and we may think that is a quick fix? But what we are seeing is a national crisis and we need to hear more about what the Government is doing about this crisis. It should not be a quick fix or a patch up, but it must be a plan to derail, deter and cancel these types of crimes concerning our children," she said.

The partially nude body of Kelsey, who was a grade three student at St John's Primary School, was found stuffed inside a barrel with bruises to her head and private area.

Clergyman and Organiser of the annual 10,000 Men and Family's March in Spanish Town, Bishop Rohan Edwards, described the situation as "evil" and "satanic".

"For these types of guys, for them to be killing kids like these, then who else they won't kill? Whatever means it may take for this type of atrocity against humanity, especially the children, to stop, we have to do it. I want to say it loud and clear , I am not with these wicked men and I call them evil. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. What was done to this little girl was evil, wicked and satanic and men like these must be dealt with harshly," the clergyman said.