New mom murdered weeks before migration

Weeks before her scheduled migration overseas, and nearly three months after the birth of her child, the family of Ronesha Gilbert-Morgan has been plunged into mourning and is, instead, in the process of planning her funeral.

Gilbert-Morgan, 28, was one of four persons shot during a drive-by shooting last Saturday in King Weston, Lawrence Tavern.

The three injured men, including her husband, who is a soldier in the United States Army, were treated for minor to serious gunshot wounds sustained during the onslaught.

Gilbert-Morgan’s mother, Terriann Gilbert, told The Gleaner that she has not been coping well but is making an effort to be strong.

“Yes, man. She come through, man, fi go a foreign soon. Maybe month end, next month the longest,” Gilbert said, adding that her daughter was looking forward to the transition.

She said her daughter was her everything and would be sadly missed.

Gilbert-Morgan was married in 2022 and is a past student of Kingston Technical High School.

Her husband was reportedly in Jamaica for the birth of their child and to relocate their family to the US.

“I could call upon her. She is my girl. We sit and talk about everything. Ronesha is my friend. She can drive [even] if something wrong with the car. She carry me go places. Everywhere me want to go, Ronesha carry me. She know the 14 parishes of Jamaica,” Gilbert said, adding that her only child was a happy and fun person.

Gilbert told The Gleaner that she and her infant granddaughter’s father have agreed to be primary caregivers.

“Ronesha can do everything you think of - girl work, boy work - and do it good to,” Gilbert stressed between deep sighs.

The Gleaner understands that about 12:20 a.m., the victims were in the community playing a game of dominoes along the roadway when a car drove up from which men jumped out and fired indiscriminately.

“Suddenly dem hear pure gunshot and everybody start run. She and two others drop on the ground. She probably hit her stomach, but she did not get shot. She lay down on the ground, hold down her head like she dead, and then she go move up her head likkle, and then the gunman go over her and shoot her in her neck,” Gilbert said.

She told The Gleaner that the community has been tense since June when a murder took place.

Since then, there has been a spate of gun attacks and counterattacks.

The Gleaner understands that one of the clashing factions has set out to take a number of lives for the death of a loved one, but this has not been substantiated by law enforcement

“Dem can’t catch the person who and dem inna problem, so dem a go shoot people who dem nuh know and who don’t business with them and take away people innocent life and mash up people life,” a resident of the community told The Gleaner.

Gilbert was to celebrate another birthday on September 20.

Her friend, who is celebrating a birthday today, told The Gleaner that prior to the deadly attack, Gilbert-Morgan was planning to celebrate with her.

“I was saddened when I heard last week, and I am still saddened now to know that I won’t see her again. She never deserve a death like this. Ronesha was a good girl. She just have her baby. Why dem did affi kill her? She told me her thing come through and she soon leave Jamaica. Her husband did a go bring her up. She was planning to celebrate my birthday with me tomorrow (today),” her friend told The Gleaner.

Detectives assigned to the Constant Spring police are probing the murder, which took place in the St Andrew North Police Division, which has recorded a 27 per cent increase in murders since the start of the year.

As at August 31, forty-seven people were murdered across the division.

This represents 10 more than the corresponding period in 2023.

The national murder toll, yesterday, stood at 783.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com