A Mother Mourns Third Child Killed in Three Years

The mother of the young woman killed early Saturday morning is in grief after suffering the loss of her third child to murder.

Blanch McKenzie is the mother of 18-year-old Harrinique McPhee who was killed in the Kemp Road area over the weekend when three gunmen emerged from bushes and fired shots at a Nissan March. Harrinique was shot dead and another man who accompanied her is in hospital.

“It’s heartbreaking, very painful. The bone can’t mend. It’s happening too fast,” a grieving McKenzie told the Tribune.

In December 2020, McKenzie’s son, Alfred Bastian was murdered when four men pulled up to a residence in the Kemp Road area and shot Bastian who was standing in a group. And, in April 2021, another son Renardo Bain was one of six men killed on Jerome Avenue when four gunmen riddled their car with bullets after their release from police custody.

After the deaths of her sons, McKenzie posted in 2021 that she was still seeking justice.

“It’s a burden and they left a lot of children,” she said.

Since Harrinique has been killed, she insisted that she would not be satisfied until justice is served.

“I am not getting any satisfaction, there’s no justice, [and] no one is locked up. All I want is justice for my child because I don’t think she should have died that way.

“I don’t think they should kill a woman, a young woman. I think the police needs to get these persons, arrest them and stop letting them run free,” McKenzie said.

Harrinique was a former student of C.H Reeves Junior High School and C.R Walker Senior High School, and went on to work at Burger King on Village Road where she was due to receive the Employee of the Year award for showcasing good team spirit.

She was also a drummer at Living Word Church of God where her grandfather served as pastor.