The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net

TAMIKA Nottage-Cime was sharing pizza and watching television with her family on Monday night when stray bullets from a street shooting tore through the walls of her Wilton Street home, killing her outright as she cradled her one-year-old grandson in her arms.

Overcome with grief, her mother Christine Nottage said moments before the shooting, her 48-year-old daughter came into her bedroom to spend time with her, as the family often gathered there to talk and laugh.

Both women were sitting on the bed, with Ms Nottage at the head and her daughter, a devoted wife and mother-of-six, at the other end. Then, the shooting began.

Ms Nottage said she screamed for her two great-grandchildren to get on the ground. When the gunfire stopped, she realised her daughter had not moved and the grandchild she was holding was splattered with blood.

“I see her still on her face and the baby in her hand,” she recalled, adding she began calling out her daughter’s name and hitting her body for a response.

“When I look at the baby in her hand, that’s when I realised she got hit,” she said. “The baby full of blood and the blood coming from up under her.”

Police said the incident occurred shortly after 10pm. Officers responded to reports of a shooting at a residence on Wilton Street, where they found an unresponsive woman with a gunshot wound to the upper body.

Investigations revealed that an unidentified man, who was chasing another man, fired multiple shots during the pursuit. The bullets entered a nearby home, striking the victim as she sat on her bed.

The suspect fled the area.

Emergency medical personnel later confirmed the woman showed no signs of life.

The one-year-old child was unharmed.

Ms Nottage, holding back tears, said she has never lost a child before and is praying for peace.

“She don’t bother people, she saved,” she said. “Just how she died quiet, that’s just how she was.”

She said justice must be served.

Mrs Nottage-Cime worked as a janitress at DW Davis School.

Her husband, Fenold Cime, who works on a Family Island, flew into New Providence yesterday after receiving the news. He said he is still in disbelief.

“Someone tell me she got shoot,” he said yesterday. “I said no, I just talked to my wife.”

The couple had been married for 15 years. Mr Cime described his wife as the love of his life.

In a statement, Centerville MP Jomo Campbell expressed condolences, noting that the victim had worked on his campaign.

“Tamika was more than a team member; she was family,” he said.

“Her warmth, her spirit, and her presence brought light to everyone around her. We strongly condemn violence on our streets and community, especially violence against women & children. This must never be accepted as normal.

“To the Nottage family, please know that you are in our prayers and in our hearts during this incredibly difficult time. We grieve with you. We stand with you. Let this be a moment for reflection, for unity, and for love.”