Woman killed days before burying child’s father - Custos condemns ‘barbaric’ church attack

She was preparing to bury the father of her child this Sunday, instead Corra Thompson will now be mourned alongside him.

The Montego Bay mother and church member was shot dead on Wednesday by a lone masked gunman at the doorway of the New Testament Church of God on Water Lane, St James, the same church where the funeral is to be held. Thompson, who lived at Humber Avenue with her 12-year-old son, had been in mourning for the past month following the man's death from natural causes.

Police say she was in the churchyard selling books when the attacker approached and opened fire before fleeing in a black Toyota Voxy. Thompson, 38, was rushed to hospital but did not survive. Inside, worshippers had been in high spirits, fasting and being ministered to by a visiting pastor when the gunshots rang out, sending panic through the sanctuary. Cries of "Jesus, Jesus" filled the air as congregants scrambled for cover, their day of worship instantly transformed into a scene of terror.

Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels described the killing as "an attack against the city of Montego Bay".

"We are very hurt and upset about it, and we will spare no effort to find those responsible," he said.

But beyond the police investigation, the killing has struck a deeper chord, one of grief layered upon grief. Custos of St James, Bishop Conrad Pitkin, condemned the attack as "barbaric, egregious, and deeply troubling", warning that it reflects a dangerous erosion of respect for life and sacred spaces.

"To have such violence intrude upon a place of worship, where persons have gathered in faith and prayer, is both shocking and unacceptable," Pitkin said.

"There is absolutely no respect whatsoever. A young woman's life, or any life, is being taken without regard."

Pitkin also reflected on the cruel timing of the killing, noting that acts of fasting are often deeply personal moments of seeking healing, breakthrough, or divine intervention.

"To have that moment shattered in such a violent manner is profoundly distressing," he said. The killing has also revived memories of the 2021 murder of Andrea Lowe Garwood, who was shot dead in a church in Falmouth, Trelawny.

But for those closest to Thompson, the reality is far more immediate. A 12-year-old child now faces life without both parents in the space of weeks. A family is preparing not just one funeral, but two, and a community, once gathered in faith and celebration, is left searching for answers in the face of yet another life cut short.