Mother and daughter gunned down

Sophia Drummond and Domonique Duhaney were described by their neighbours as peas in a pod.

Not only did they share a tight mother-daughter bond, but they were hardly seen without each other. The women, who were last seen by the neighbours on Sunday, were said to be in high spirits. One neighbour even recalled hearing their van being driven out of the driveway early yesterday morning. Drummond and Duhaney unfortunately will never return to the comfort of their home on Carisle Close in Manley Meadows, Kingston, as they were cut down in a hail of bullets outside the gates of the National Solid Waste Management Authority's (NSWMA) Spanish Town Road facility.

"The mother live here for decades and she is always seen with her little daughter who is probably about 20 years old. I think she may have another daughter but they usually stay to themselves and can be seen going out and coming in. We see them on Sunday and they seem happy," a woman told the news team.

Head of the St Andrew South Police Division Senior Superintendent Kirk Ricketts said the lawmen are trying to ascertain a motive for the gruesome killing and are seeking the public's assistance.

"It is reported that the two women who are of a Kingston Eastern address could often be seen on the location where they were attacked most mornings selling hot beverages and breakfast to truckers. The investigation is in its early stages and as such we are unable at this time to comment on a motive for this incident. But the detectives are working assiduously to get to the bottom of this. We are imploring persons who may have information in regards to this incident to get in touch with the Hunts Bay Criminal Investigations Branch," he said.

Drummond was also an employee at the NSWMA. Natalie Neita Garvey, the opposition spokesperson on local government and sports, expressed dismay and condemnation regarding the heinous murder of the two women.

"This tragic double homicide not only spotlights a grave disregard for human life in Jamaica but also underscores an alarming trend of violence against Jamaican women."