MONTEGO BAY, St James-

Popular newspaper vendor and former national female football representative, Bernadette ‘Lorraine’ Mairs, was brutally gunned down in front of her 12-year-old son during a brazen daylight attack at her newspaper stand in historic Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay yesterday.

She was 37 years old.

Mairs’ murder is likely to stall today’s scheduled trial of an assault and wounding case in which she was the complainant, impeccable Observer West sources said.

The police also disclosed that, recently, the defendant in the case had his bail revoked for breaching conditions to stay away from the complainant.

Mairs’ daring murder comes swiftly on the heels of an undertaking on Tuesday by Commander of the St James Police Division, Maurice Robinson to tackle crime throughout the festive season through police/military patrols. Superintendent Robinson gave that commitment hours after a massive police operation in a number of crime-ridden innercity communities where 20 persons were taken into custody, 19 of whom have since been released.

In the meantime, according to Constable Ulette Lewis Green, CCN liaison officer for St James, at about 10:50 am yesterday, Mairs – who was of a Francis Isabella Drive – Mount Salem, St James address, was sitting at her newspaper stand under the Bank of Nova Scotia piazza in the square, when she was pounced upon by three armed men who opened fire on her.

She was hit on the right side of her face and died on the spot.

An alleged eyewitness was overheard saying that the well-known Mair was in the process of selling a pre-paid cellular phone card when an unknown assailant approached her from behind and shot her from point-blank range.

Yesterday, a high-ranking member of the police hierarchy disclosed that investigators were utilising footage from closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) posted on the bank building to identify the triggerman.

When news broke of the newspaper vendor’s murder, a large crowd pressed on the police crime scene tape to get a view of Mairs’ body, which lay in a large pool of blood. Clad in a green blouse and blue denims, hand was still clutching a wad of $100 notes. A pair of slippers and a bloody cap was strewn beside the corpse.

The deceased’s niece, Shanice Mairs, was overcome with grief and had to be restrained by friends.

“A just this morning she buy 25 bag of cement and come down back. Auntie gone, Lorraine gone,” she wailed.

Other newspaper vendors were equally distressed.

“God know me feel it, me feel it so till,” one newspaper vendor rued. ” Every morning me leave me paper with her.”

“She love her football game. She is a nice girl but if you get her on her wrong side, she just tell you point blank anything she believes.”

“She was straightforward,” Mark Thomas, another newspaper vendor recounted.

Mair managed to juggle her business with her first love, football. She recently represented the Trelawny Women’s team in Sherwin Williams Women’s ‘A’ League football team.

“This is a sad moment in football history. We have lost a great player our prayers go out to her family, friends and team member,” said Carol Gentles, general secretary of the Western Confederation and manager of the Trelawny women’s team.

Over a decade ago, Mair inherited her mother’s newspaper vending business at the piazza of the Bank of Nova Scotia located in Sam Sharpe Square.