Montego Bay woman shot dead at church before child father’s funeral

Corra Thompson had been getting ready to lay her child’s father to rest on Sunday. Now, the Montego Bay mother and church member is expected to be grieved with him.

Thompson was killed on Wednesday at the entrance of the New Testament Church of God on Water Lane in St James. Police say a single masked man carried out the shooting at the same church where the funeral service is scheduled to take place.

The 38-year-old Humber Avenue resident lived with her 12-year-old son. She had spent about a month grieving after the child’s father died from natural causes.

According to the police, Thompson was selling books in the churchyard when the gunman came up to her and fired. He then escaped in a black Toyota Voxy. Thompson was taken to hospital, where she died.

At the time of the attack, worshippers were inside the church fasting and receiving ministry from a visiting pastor. The service had been joyful before the shots caused fear and confusion among congregants.

Cries of "Jesus, Jesus" were heard as people rushed to protect themselves, turning the worship gathering into a frightening scene.

Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels called the killing "an attack against the city of Montego Bay".

"We are very hurt and upset about it, and we will spare no effort to find those responsible," Samuels said.

The killing has also deepened the sorrow already surrounding Thompson’s family.

Custos of St James Bishop Conrad Pitkin denounced the gun attack as "barbaric, egregious, and deeply troubling". He said the incident showed a worrying decline in regard for human life and places of worship.

"To have such violence intrude upon a place of worship, where persons have gathered in faith and prayer, is both shocking and unacceptable," Pitkin said. "There is absolutely no respect whatsoever. A young woman's life, or any life, is being taken without regard."

Pitkin said the timing made the act even more painful, as fasting is often tied to private appeals for healing, breakthrough or God’s intervention.

"To have that moment shattered in such a violent manner is profoundly distressing," he said.

The church killing has brought back memories of Andrea Lowe Garwood, who was murdered inside a church in Falmouth, Trelawny, in 2021.

For Thompson’s relatives, however, the loss is immediate and heavy. Her 12-year-old child has lost both parents within weeks, while the family must now plan two funerals as a faith community struggles with another violent death.