Gunshot victim was concerned for kids

Even as blood oozed from her neck, having received a gunshot wound during Sunday's mass shooting in Spring Village, Old Harbour, St Catherine, her primary concern was to ensure her three children were safe.

The mother, Jane*, along with her partner, Jim*, and their three children were among hundreds of patrons who turned up at the Jamaica Broilers playing field to watch an evening of football. However, about 4:45 p.m, while the game was in progress, at least one gunman entered the crowd and began shooting wildly. The police said that Jerome Squire, who also died, was the primary target of the attack.

Yesterday, Jim related how he watched in horror as she saw his partner collapse to the ground after she received a bullet to her neck.

"Mi affi take off mi ganzie and wrap round her neck. She lay down a bleed, but she a cry fi har kids dem. Mi tie her neck and put her pon her face and start run up and down a look fi di children dem," Jim said.

He told THE STAR that he is grateful that his children are not left motherless as a result of the terror that was unleashed on patrons.

"The entire ball field look like a mad ants nest, everybody just a run up and down and a bawl. Every children a run up and down. It was just pure chaos. A nuh my children alone, enuh. Every child traumatised. Right now every move mi move, mi baby move with mi the way she shaken up. Thankfully, mi baby madda a come on and a recover well," he said.

Head of the St Catherine South Police Division, Senior Superintendent Christopher Phillips, said dispute over a missing gun appeared to be at the root of Sunday's attack. He said that the police will be maintaining a strong presence in the area.

"From what we are picking up so far, this seems to have been a conflict over missing guns, and we believe that if we leave this space empty at this time, we might have further issues," he added.

* Names changed to protect identity.