A St Andrew woman is grateful to God after having received an unwelcome jolt two hours into the new year when she was awakened by a burning sensation on her arm.

The woman was reportedly hit by a bullet of unknown origin as she slept at her home in Olympic Gardens.

She was rushed to the hospital by a neighbour.

The police’s Constabulary Communication Unit (CCU) confirmed the incident occurred around 2:40 am.

Recounting the incident, the victim told the Jamaica Observer: “Mi inna me bed, me and my great grandson and me granddaughter, my face turned to the front and my back turned to them; me granddaughter over the wall and me great grandson behind me.

“Sleep mi a sleep an’ mi ongle hear [dung]! Mi jump up same time. When me jump up me only feel me hand a burn and me just jump offa the bed same time and a call mi son. Mi nuh hear no response; him a sleep and mi open the door and call mi daughter and seh mi get shot.”

She said her family sprang into action to assist her.

“All wi coulda do was grab one blouse and band mi hand. And me band the hand and look fi a slippers and come outside and somebody tek one blouse again and band it again,” the woman recalled.

She received medical attention at Kingston Public Hospital and later released.

She is concerned however, as the bullet remains in her body.

“Mi alright, but the shot still lodge in deh, the shot still in deh, it nuh come out.”

Still shaken up over the incident, the woman bemoaned the fact that she could have lost her life due to this incident.

“Mi coulda lose me life the maawnin and nobody know nothing caah right over mi head and God save me head and it guh inna me hand,” said the woman.

Her son recounted the frightening experience of learning that his mother had been shot.

“She came around to call me, but I was sleeping so she went to call [my sister]. My sister came around and called me to tell me my mother got shot,” said the young man.

“So I rushed outside. The only thing I could do was turn back inside…and I grabbed my phone and my wallet [and] started to get ready to take her to the hospital,” he said.

The concerned son said he was in seeming shock on learning what had happened.

“The people dem tell me that I’m not eligible to drive because the response I gave to them is like I was basically in shock and they are not quite sure what I’m trying to say to them, so I had to let someone else take her to the hospital,” he said.

The son said his mother is now at home recuperating.

— DM