Brazen Attack: Woman Shot And Killed At Church In St. James | TVJ News

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00][music] >> Welcome back to Prime Time News.

[00:00:05]>> special welcome once again to our viewers on TVJ International in the Cayman Islands and online at 1spotmedia.com.

[00:00:13]>> Up first this evening, a woman is dead and church members left shaken after a shooting at the Montego Bay New Testament Church of God.

[00:00:20]>> According to according to police reports, the incident happened sometime after 2:00 p.m.

[00:00:28]A daring daylight fatal shooting in an unlikely place. On the Water Lane New Testament Church of God, members were engaged in a prayer and fasting service.

[00:00:39]On the outside, a gunman was planning an attack. His target, a church member identified as Cora Thompson, who was on the outside. TVJ News understands it's her usual spot where she sold books. But the member of the church for roughly 5 years was unprepared for what was to come. A lone gunman, masked gunman, um attacked a lady who was selling books on the in the church yard. Uh this lady was subsequently rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. As the shots rang out, prayer and fasting continued inside. Look at your neighbor AND SAY, "NEIGHBOR, YOU HAVE LETTER FOR ANOTHER SPECIALIST. AND WHOM YOU TALK TO, THIS LETTER IS THE THIRD ONE."

[00:01:25]AFTER THE first gunshot, people were seen scampering, but some continued to pray. When we arrived on the scene, congregants who remained refused comment, but we spoke with the head of the church, Bishop Ruel Robinson. It is a sad occasion.

[00:01:41]We never expect this to happen.

[00:01:44]And I is a senseless killing.

[00:01:49]And it's a sad occasion for the members and the worshipers as well. Bishop Robinson described the deceased as a devoted member.

[00:01:58]Sister Thompson, um the victim, she was a quality lady.

[00:02:04]Um somebody that is high-spirited and cooperative, >> [clears throat] >> supportive.

[00:02:13]Yes, she's that kind of person. She gets along well with almost everybody.

[00:02:19]And while church members were shaken, Well, the church, though mourning, is uh is a movement that keeps on fighting.

[00:02:34]It's a spiritual warfare.

[00:02:36]And we'll have to encourage each other.

[00:02:41]We will have to pray for each other.

[00:02:45]This is not a personal thing.

[00:02:48]It is a collective experience as a church.

[00:02:53]So we plan to provide grief counseling to the church members and um keep on praying and supporting the family. I'm more so concerned about the family members of our sister right now. As investigations continue into the incident, the police are promising that every effort will be made to find the shooter. It is really an unfortunate incident and really an attack against, I would say, the city of Montego Bay.

[00:03:24]We are very hurt and upset about it, and we will not spare any effort to find who the killers are.