Mother of 8 gunned down after speaking out on assault of family member
Published:Saturday | July 27, 2024 | 11:31 AMAndre Williams/Gleaner Writer
A pall of gloom overshadowed a Gregory Park, Portmore community following yesterday’s brazen daylight murder of a mother of eight who was well known among the citizenry.
Dead is 47-year-old Natoya Rhoden.
Rhoden was gunned down in a section of the community called ‘Mexico’.
The Gleaner understands that she tried to outrun her attacker but was chased and shot.
The circumstances surrounding her death are being probed by the Portmore Criminal Investigations Branch (CIB); however, residents and family members believe she was targeted because she was enraged and hit out against a crime that was committed against a close family member.
“She was very vocal about it. The incident took place last week in the community and people know about it. It is sad that they killed her because she never deserve this,” a resident told The Gleaner.
Another resident said she was fearful that Rhoden’s murder would lead to “no peace in the community”.
“Everybody hurt bout it. Mi nuh like when dem kill di woman dem. Dem wicked. Weh dem kill the woman for? The woman have her children dem, young children tuh. This nuh look good ina Gregory Park,” the resident voiced.
Yesterday, a large contingent of police personnel swooped down on the community which recorded a murder last Thursday, not far from Rhoden’s crime scene, and the shooting of a woman on Wednesday inside a bar.
“Dem nah behave themselves and if a that dem a deal wid, the police know what to do!” a lawman, who was seemingly peeved, said aloud as he traversed the area.
One of Rhoden’s children was inconsolable as she stood over a thick pool of her mother’s blood and cried.
HARD-WORKING MOTHER
The woman, who intends to leave the area, said her mother was a hustler who worked hard for her children to survive.
She told The Gleaner that at the time of the incident, she was at home with her mother but did not hear the explosions.
“She went to look after her goat dem. I was inside but I never hear anything,” the distraught daughter said.
She strongly believes the attack on a family member played a part in her mother’s murder.
“A long time she live here, more than 20 years,” the woman said, looking around in despair.
She said the burden was now on her to ensure that her younger siblings were protected and cared for.
The St Catherine South Police Division has recorded a 14 per cent decline in murders as at July 20, compared to last year. Shootings in the division are also showing a decrease of 14 per cent.