Unspeakable pain as family mourns murdered teen

Saturday, February 24 was an ordinary day for many, with the buzz of the then impending elections dominating conversations across Jamaica.

However, for 16-year-old Bianca Thompson, her focus was elsewhere - a simple evening centred around doing her chores and going to church the following day. Returning home that night, Bianca shared a meal with her brother and cousin, unaware that it would be their last together. As they drifted off to sleep, a horrific tragedy unfolded. Bianca was mercilessly shot, allegedly eight times in the head, with her cousin lying beside her. Residents of Arnett Gardens, where Bianca lived, believe that she was an innocent victim of a senseless act of violence.

Entering the scene, the news team was greeted by a haunting sight. Tameika, Bianca's aunt, has barely set foot inside the dwelling since the tragedy occurred.

"Mi only clean up little of the blood because it took around three days for me to come back to mi sense," she revealed. Bullet holes pierced through the wooden boards, evidence of the brutality that had shattered their lives. Bianca's school uniform, a poignant reminder of her vibrant presence, hung silently in her room. Tameika theorised that the gunmen may have been searching for another member of the family.

"She was covered up in the sheet and the room was dark, so them nuh know who in deh but them know the house ... so dem just push the gun through the window and start shoot," Tameika told THE STAR. She said that there were no screams from anyone in her yard but she was sure that the shots were in her yard when she smelled the sulphur and later heard more shots which came through the front door and the kitchen.

"Mi call out 'Mama', and then mi run go round there and see Bianca on the ground. The shot dem vibrate her off di bed. From mi see the blood a come through her nose and mouth, mi say to mi son say Bianca dead," she said with her voice cracking.

Bianca's journey had been fraught with challenges. Last October, she came to live with her paternal aunt and grandmother, after issues with her mother. Tragically, her father had succumbed to gun violence when she was just a year old. For Tameika, Bianca's loss is immeasurable.

"Mi nuh able fi manage because she was everything to me," she lamented, struggling to come to terms with the absence of her beloved niece, who was not only a source of joy but also a link to her late brother.

Bianca harboured dreams of a brighter future. Whether as a doctor, lawyer, or hairdresser, she aspired to make a difference. Her passion for human and social biology shined through, evident in the textbooks and learning material scattered around the house.

The motive behind the heinous attack remains unclear. Up to press time, the news team was unable to get a comment from Senior Superintendent Michael Phipps, head of the Kingston Western Police Division.