By EARYEL BOWLEG 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net 

JUST months after her cousin’s murder, 26-year-old Ishniequa Culmer was shot dead while spending time with a neighbourhood friend at the home where she lived and cared for her elderly grandmother— plunging her grieving family into fresh heartbreak.
The murder took place on Sunday night in the Wulff Road area - with a boy and another woman also injured in the shooting. Ishniequa’s father, Ishmael Culmer, described the loss as shocking, remembering his daughter as a loving, independent young woman with big dreams.
He said hair styling was her passion, and she had a steady stream of clients. Her dream was to open her own salon and support friends pursuing the same path. 

“She was a very loving, humble child. Stayed to herself, and she always working on her own, and she always was independent. She was very loving to the family and everyone,” Mr Culmer told The Tribune yesterday. 

Police said three people were shot in the attack, including Ms Culmer, a 13-year-old boy, and a 19-year-old woman who was shot in the chest. Ms Culmer died on the scene while the two injured survivors were taken to hospital and remain in stable condition. All three are relatives. 

Family members said they are at a loss over the motive behind Ishniequa’s killing, insisting that she never bothered anyone. 

They said she often babysat her young relatives and was always there for her grandmother, who is now struggling to cope with the tragedy. 

The killing is also a double blow for the family, who are still grieving the loss of her cousin, Jaidyn Henfield, killed just three months ago. 

In March, Jaidyn was fatally shot on Boyd Road after being approached by two gunmen in a light-coloured Japanese vehicle. 

“For the last couple of months, we’ve been going through it like one thing to the next thing to the next thing. It’s like it’s been a lot,” said Mamawie Henfield, Jaidyn’s mother and Ishniequa’s aunt. 

“Justice for my son and my niece. They were humble. My son was like my baby. My baby was a mama’s boy. My niece, the same way. She was like a Grammy Papa girl.” 

Police said they are still looking for the suspects connected to the triple shooting. 

Meanwhile, Ishniequa’s death brings the country’s murder count to 43 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records. 

Police said yesterday they are still investigating and have not yet determined a motive. Officers said they would review surveillance camera footage in the area if operational.