THE MOTHER of slain Immaculate Conception High School student Vanessa Kirkland said an autopsy report revealed that her daughter was killed by a gunshot wound that pierced her neck.

Veronica Nelson said the autopsy also revealed that her 16-year-old daughter took a bullet to the head that "cracked her skull".

"Dem say even if she did survive the shot to her neck, it would have paralysed her," Nelson told The Gleaner during an interview on Monday.

Her revelation came hours after the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) announced that it had completed its probe of Vanessa's killing and that the case had been handed over to the director of public prosecutions (DPP) for a ruling.

"I feel happy... like justice is about to be served, because me daughter no deserve to die like that," Nelson said in response to INDECOM's action.

difficult coping

Nelson said it has been difficult coping with the loss of her daughter and revealed that she sometimes breaks down in tears.

"Especially pan a Sunday when she would help me cook," she noted.

Vanessa was killed and six persons shot and injured on March 20 last year by police personnel who reported that they returned gunfire from two men travelling in a Suzuki Swift motor car on Norman Lane, St Andrew.

The police said the car was being pursued by three separate teams from Mobile Reserve, because there were reports that it was transporting three men who were involved in a robbery in Portmore, St Catherine.

INDECOM said its probe was to determine whether any of the police personnel involved were culpable for Vanessa's death, whether her right to life was breached or whether any policy of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) violated.

INDECOM said the probe, which lasted nearly a year, was delayed by a 10-month wait for the final ballistics certificate from the Government Forensic Laboratory.

In addition, INDECOM said during a re-examination of the Suzuki motor car last September, an additional projectile was found that had to be submitted for analysis.