Feature image created using Canva Pro elements. It had been another day of thunder and rain in Jamaica's capital, a common occurrence during hurricane season, but this time, the turbulence was not restricted to the weather. Just after 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 20, Ryan Evans, director of corruption prevention at the parliamentary Integrity Commission (IC), was shot and injured in a parking lot near his office in New Kingston. His briefcase was stolen by the two attackers. Police swiftly stated that their preliminary investigations suggested the incident was a robbery. Since Evans had just withdrawn a large sum of money from a bank at another location, they theorised he had been followed. The victim was hospitalised for his injuries, which were reportedly not serious, while investigations continued. On X (formerly Twitter), one Jamaican shared: The Govt and Opp better come out against this strong strong 😒 https://t.co/LOTIDIM52n — Uptown Natty (@LolaluvBeach) September 21, 2023 Her post alluded to the fact that the IC has been a political hot potato in recent months, with public controversy escalating on February 14, after a report from the commission that was tabled in parliament noted it had referred for prosecution a potential conflict of interest issue connected to Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Two days later, as considerable confusion and anger raged — one media house accused the IC's Executive Director Greg Christie of having “an insatiable appetite for media attention” — the Commission sought to explain that it had acted within the law, while noting that the prime minister would not, in fact, be charged. Still, many felt that the damage to the organisation's reputation, and that of Jamaica, had already been done. At the time, an editorial in the Gleaner newspaper warned against possible efforts to weaken the anti-corruption entity: Jamaicans should be vigilant against an emerging political coalition at Gordon House [Houses of Parliament] to defang the Integrity Commission (IC), thus making it useless against marauding public officials. The first step in the IC’s weakening, it seems, is a cross-party, hyena-style encirclement, probing at every scab, real or perceived. Verbal attacks on the IC from government parliamentarians, at times under the protection of parliamentary privilege, had reached the point where the prime minister felt obliged to make a statement on June 14. At a meeting in March of the parliamentary oversight committee examining the Integrity Commission Act, one government member had singled out the IC official who had been shot as being politically aligned to the country's opposition, accusing the IC of being “tainted.” Prime Minister Holness, however, sought to rein in outspoken members of his party: I would say to every Member that we should not engage in a political ‘cass cass’ because that is how it is emerging between the Parliament and a body that reports to the Parliament. […] Madam Speaker, we should avoid that at all costs. In a tweet posted just an hour after the attack, the prime minister had swiftly condemned the shooting: I must unequivocally condemn the appalling act of violence against a Director of the Integrity Commission that occurred earlier this morning (September 21, 2023). pic.twitter.com/LiuKzir8Ex — Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) September 21, 2023 His lead was soon followed by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, as well as Opposition Leader Mark Golding, who pointed to the need for greater security for the Commission: Opposition Leader, Mark Golding has expressed shock at the shooting of the Director of the Integrity Commission. He added that the authorities should provide additional security for the members of the Integrity Commission including Close Protection Officers where appropriate. pic.twitter.com/RsnehwB517 — Television Jamaica/Radio Jamaica Newscentre (@TvjNewscentre) September 21, 2023 Executive director Christie, meanwhile, appeared grim-faced when asked for his reaction to the shooting by a journalist at the scene. “You should ask the government that … ask them what that means,” he responded. When asked whether he was shocked, he replied: “No, it was inevitable, based upon the environment in which we are operating.” One X user shared a video of Christie's comments, suggesting that they were politically biased: Draw your own inferences. Shared without comment. And after, tell me if this strikes as fair and balanced. pic.twitter.com/mDW6xiWjRw — Ryan Strachan (@5Solae) September 21, 2023 Christie's remarks fuelled another round of heavy criticism from IC critics, civil society, and sections of the media.