Mother murdered on daughter’s birthday

A 29-year-old mother of three was on Tuesday shot in the head and thrown from a moving car as the driver of the vehicle tried to elude the police in Franklyn Town, Kingston.

The deceased has been identified as Keila Bryce, a bartender of Largie Road in Kingston 11. She was reportedly on her way to work when the incident occurred about 10:15 a.m.

The police’s Corporate Communications Unit said that lawmen signalled the driver of a Toyota Probox to stop at the intersection of Upper King Street and North Parade in downtown Kingston. He disobeyed, resulting in a chase leading into the Franklyn Town area. The cops said that Bryce was seen tumbling from the right rear door of the moving vehicle with a wound to the head. The car sped away in the area and Bryce was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead. It was unclear how many other persons were in the vehicle.

Bryce’s family said that she was planning to leave work early that day to reach home in time for her daughter’s sixth birthday party. When THE STAR visited Bryce’s home on Wednesday, her mother, Careen Davis, said she felt lost. The 46-year-old said that Bryce, the second of her seven children, was a fun-loving individual who was easy to get along with, and a mother who went above and beyond for her children.

“Mi baby! Mi want har, this cyah be real ... dem kill mi baby. How mi a go look pon har inna casket now? Mi cyah do that! From mi get the news yesterday mi cyah sleep, mi cyah eat,” she said.

“She is not a bad person. She may be secretive and miserable at times but she is a really nice person. She don’t deserve to die like that. Har daughter is here crying from yesterday because har mother no come home. Instead wi a keep birthday party, is a funeral me affi think bout planning now,” she added. Bryce’s eldest sister, Sanica Newman, said her sibling was often the backbone of the family.

“Her three kids, a she took care of dem because their fathers are absent. She also ensure say mommy alright and never want for nothing,” said Newman. “A so dem [her killers] wah fi live? Just kill people like dat and carry on like nothing no happen?”

Head of the Kingston East Police Division, Senior Superintendent Tomielee Chambers, confirmed the incident and said that detectives from the Elletson Road Police Station were leading the investigations.