Couple reopens business after shooting causes six-month closure

The dream to own a restaurant quickly turned into a nightmare last July for Latoya Tomlinson-Bernard and her husband Domonic Bernard after four persons were shot and injured at their establishment less than two months after they opened.

The operators of the Tropic Juice Bar and Grill in Eight Miles, Bull Bay, St Andrew, were forced to close it after the incident which was one of many in the community in 2021. Last year, a bloody gang war claimed the lives of several persons in Bull Bay. There were also horrific tales of robberies. Residents prayed for a new dawn as the crime negatively impacted their economic and social lives. Tomlinson-Bernard is convinced that the gunmen were not targeting their establishment.

"We were not the targets. The tint on our door was done wrong so the shooters could see exactly who was on the inside and how we were all positioned, but we could not see them," she said. Tomlinson-Bernard said that it was always her husband's dream to open a restaurant and being from the area, Bull Bay was the perfect spot.

Recalling the night of the July 2 attack, Tomlinson-Bernard said that her husband had asked her to come to the establishment to deal with a staff issue.

"I told my husband I was ready to go home but I was watching the time and realise it was after seven and it was 8 o'clock curfew so I just decide to stay and help him to pack up and check off. We still had a few customers inside and I was still checking my phone and a just bare gunshots I heard," she said.

No one died in the incident.

Now after six months of closure following the shooting, the couple reopened on January 28, despite some misgivings.

"I am going to be honest that I had second thoughts about reopening after the incident because I was really shaken up. At the time I didn't think we were really safe because there was an upsurge of war over that side and I wondered if we should have rented or sold it," she said.

Tomlinson-Bernard told THE STAR that the incident put a huge dent in their finances, but she said that they are relying on their faith that business will be booming once more.

"We spent a lot of money to getting it back on track but we decided to extend the business and go upstairs as well. We are just really grateful that our lives were spared and no other life was lost and we are able to open again," she said. "We have some new customers and the old ones are gradually coming back. Thankfully, the shots have stopped firing within the space so the area is getting normalised once more. I believe that very soon business will be in full swing again as the war has died down and the customers will feel comfortable in time to come back out."