Woman shot in neck lives to tell her story

"Please don't hurt my baby" were the last words of Special Constable Jermaine Bartley seconds before gunmen pumped bullets into his head on October 9, 2013.

Bartley was referring to his spouse, Tamara Davidson, who lay huddled next to him on the floor in their kitchen in Montego Bay, St James. But Bartley's pleas fell on cruel, deaf ears as the thugs shot Davidson twice, including once in the neck, before escaping.

Miraculously, she survived, but Davidson, who was 29 at the time, had to endure months of rigorous physiotherapy sessions, while mourning the love of her life. She tells her story of love, immense pain and forgiveness in the recently released book called Purpose Cannot Die.

"The book also chronicles my unwavering faith in God during the recovery process, and my journey to forgiving the perpetrators. I started to write the book in January of this year after I prayed and fasted about it. It took about two months to write it because God was in it. The sales are going good on Amazon ... since its release on May 3 ... and I am getting pre-orders, and so on. I am able to do a lot of stuff on my own. I am driving on my own and I am coping much better," she said.

Bartley, who was attached to the St James Police Division, had served the Island Special Constabulary Force for four years and was described by his superiors as a hard worker. The couple, who are originally from Manchester, relocated to St James. Davidson said they were together for almost seven years and had plans to tie the knot.

"Two days before he was killed, we had gone shopping for engagement rings. Our lives were going great and we were really in love. We had just eaten dinner and was washing dishe,s and he went outside to empty the leftovers. When he came back in the kitchen, he came back with three gunmen who had ambushed him," she said.

Davidson said they were ordered to lay on the floor, where Bartley hugged her tightly to protect her, while begging the gunmen not to hurt her. She said the thugs must have known that Barrett was a police officer, as they barked at him to hand over his firearm. They also demanded money.

"I was in shock, so Jermaine was the one replying. He told them that we didn't have any money and we were just a couple trying to make ends meet. That angered them because they weren't getting what they wanted, so they began to kick him in his head. They then shoot him twice in the head. I was praying and then there was silence; then I got the first shot in my neck. They shot me another time, but that bullet landed just above my ear and didn't lodge," she said.

Davidson said their neighbours came to their assistance shortly after and they were transferred to the Cornwall Regional Hospital. Davidson underwent an emergency operation to have the bullet removed from her neck, while her partner's body was removed to the morgue.

"That bullet gave me a spinal cord injury, and it was like it shut down my body. I literally could not move and my body was numb. I was in intensive care for about three weeks, after which I was referred to Sir John Golding rehab, where I spent five months," she said.

Throughout her painful rehab journey, Davidson said she mourned the loss of her spouse, and was even more heartbroken that she couldn't attend his funeral.

"It was really, really hard. Imagine, I had selected my engagement ring the Monday prior and the incident happened the Wednesday. I just wished he was at rehab with me recuperating. He was my everything and he lived for his job, and that was to serve and protect. Thankfully, my family and friends were there for me day in and day out," she said.