‘Leave everything in God’s hands’

When Orthia Watson heard gunshots echo through her Olympic Gardens community in Kingston on Thursday, she rushed towards the chaos – never imagining she would find her 14-year-old daughter lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head.

She collapsed in shock and grief.

Terona Thomas, a second-form student at Pembroke Hall High School, died at the Kingston Public Hospital later that day, succumbing to her injuries after undergoing emergency surgery.

According to the police, around 1:50 p.m., Thomas was among a group of people gathered on Hill Avenue when gunmen travelling in a motorcar opened fire, injuring her and two men. The victims were taken to hospital.

The grieving mother was sitting in her yard when the shots rang out. She said her heart sank instantly, knowing her daughter had gone in the direction of the gunfire.

“As mi hear the gunshots, mi say, ‘Weh TT deh?’” Watson recalled through tears yesterday, explaining to The Gleaner that she had just given her daughter money to buy a boiled crab from a nearby stall.

“When mi reach up deh, mi see a car a drive way, but mi never see who inside. When mi turn the corner, mi see har laying down with her sister on top of her. Mi see har pon di ground … mi couldn’t believe.”

She said she collapsed in tears before even reaching her daughter, overcome with shock and grief.

On Friday, when The Gleaner visited the family’s home, Watson and her older daughter, Danea Clarke, were just returning from their visit to the House of Tranquillity’s morgue, where the mother went to identify her child’s body.

“It was very painful,” Watson said. “Mi just a ask Father God fi give mi strength fi raise mi other four kids.”

‘DEM HEARTLESS’

The distraught mother described her daughter as a homebody who was very nice, loving and well loved.

“Everybody inna di community love har... it really shake mi up. Mi nuh know wa fi do,” she said.

Watson is demanding justice for her child and is hoping that the investigation will lead to the capture of the perpetrators. Unconfirmed reports are that the killers were after someone else and Terona was an innocent victim of the shooting.

Clarke, who shared a close bond with her younger sister, said she hasn’t been coping well since the incident.

“Mi cya sleep, mi cya eat. Every time mi close mi eyes, a mi sister mi see. Almost every night she sleep wid mi,” Clarke said tearfully.

She expressed anger at some community members, accusing them of closing their doors on her sister and another young girl as they sought refuge from the gunfire.

“Dem heartless,” she said. “How unuh fi lock out di babies dem? Maybe if dem did help, mi sister would still be alive.”

She was also hurt about the fact that some residents were more focused on videotaping the tragedy than helping.

“You know how dat painful fi see mi sister pon di ground and dem a video?” she said angrily.

Clarke shared that persons came and rushed the men to hospital, leaving her sister and when confronted, they claimed they did not see her. She said it was the police who transported her sister to the hospital.

“Mi leave everything in a God’s hands and I will be praying for dem to catch the killer. How you fi turn a gun pon a 14-year-old?” she asked.

The Olympic Gardens police are investigating.

Thomas’ murder follows Wednesday’s shooting death of 15-year-old schoolboy Jeremy Morris in Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew. The Glengoffe High student was reportedly shot multiple times in his head.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com