WESTMORELAND, Jamaica— One victim from the early morning shooting at a party on Barracks Street in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland has decided to avoid such events in the future due to the trauma she experienced.

The woman was a patron at the event where five people were shot and injured shortly after 1:00am on Saturday, when a motorcycle with two men aboard drove up and opened gunfire at the crowd.

She was shot in her lower right side.

READ: Five shot at party in Westmoreland

In relaying her experience, the woman stated that she did not initially realise that the explosions she heard were gunfire, but ran when she saw other patrons at the party running.

“Me did stand up with me friend dem and we a talk and me only hear ‘pow’ so me don’t take it as anything, me stand up same way because me say maybe a fire rocket them a buss. When me hear ‘pow’ again me see them start run off so me start run too and when me run me go buck up in a tree. Then me stand up and when me look me hear everybody say them get shot and me a walk round and look pon who get shot. After that now me wipe me face and me see blood pon me hand and me say ‘weh blood come from pon me hand’. And then me side start burn me and me realise say the shot graze me,” the woman recounted.

She said that she was in shock and a co-worker who was also attending the event brought her to the hospital where the reality of the traumatic experience started to set in.

“When me deh over by the hospital and me sit down and picture everything and me a say ‘Father God me give you thanks’ because it could be worse because couple days from now will be my birthday and me woulda dead and don’t see me birthday and dead leave me two pickney dem,” the distraught mother said.

She told Observer Online that she usually works at nights but her sister-in-law is always encouraging her to go out. However, after this experience, the woman said that she will not be attending any more parties.

“Fi tell you the truth this kinda show me an example. Me work a night but sometime me sister-in-law would say ‘everyday you dress up and gone a work you can’t go out one of the time’ and me always a say ‘girl me have work fi go because me have two pickney fi mind’ and me haffi work hard so when me sit down and look at how me would a leave me two pickney behind so me nuh think me a go back a no party,” she said.

The promoter of the event disclosed that she has been hosting  the annual party for over a decade. She said that it is part of her birthday celebration, and this is the first time that a shooting has taken place at one of her events, adding that she is also traumatised by the incident.

When asked what she thinks should be done to reduce crime in Westmoreland, the promoter stated that when states of public emergency (SOEs) are implemented in the parish, “things are calmer”.

“Less things happen when we have more police on the ground,” she stressed.

“It better when them deh around; it 100 per cent better. Me feel police and soldier fi a walk the streets like first time,” she added.

When asked if she believes she can recover from the traumatic experience, the promoter said, “This can’t break me. At this moment because it just happen me shaken up but when me go inna me bed go lie down or me go kneel on knees fi pray me know God ago give me the answer that me want because a me best friend, a Him me talk to through all trials and tribulations.”

The police are theorising that the shooting could be gang-related, as, based on reports received, the shooters seem to have come from an area where a gang is based, and majority of the patrons are residents of another area with a rival gang.

“We have not given it a gang assessment in terms of assigning it to say it is a gang-related feud but where the men (the shooters) reportedly came from, it would indicate that they are from a particular area that has one set of gangs and majority of the patrons who were at the event are from another area where an opposing gang to that one is based,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Shaunjaye Mitchell reported.