‘I WAS GOING TO DIE TRYING’
MATERNAL INSTINCT DRIVES WOMAN INSPECTOR TO SAVE FAMILY FROM THREE GUNMEN
IT WAS maternal instinct more than anything else that spurred Woman Inspector Allison Grant-Johnson into action on the night of September 26, 2017, when the piercing screams of her daughter alerted her to three gunmen who invaded her home around 8:20 p.m. Grant-Johnson’s daughter had gone outside shortly before to dispose of garbage when the hoodlums held her at gunpoint and made their way inside.
“She would have alerted me by three screams of, ‘Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!’ That I’ll never forget as long as I live. When I heard it, I realised that this wasn’t normal, so I drew my firearm because I recognised that I was under attack and in no time I saw guns and I just did what I had to do,” GrantJohnson recounted to The Gleaner yesterday at the Ceremony of Investiture and Presentation of National Honours and Awards at King’s House, St Andrew.
Grant-Johnson, a mother of four and a 21year veteran of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), was awarded the Medal of Honour for Gallantry for displaying extraordinary bravery in defence of her family.
Despite being towards the end of the lengthy programme, the narrative of her heroics that night was met with thunderous
applause by the hundreds who gathered on the lawns of King’s House.
After drawing her service pistol and contesting the gunmen in a shoot-out, Grant-Johnson discovered that she had suffered a gunshot wound to her upper right arm.
Two of her daughters had also been shot during the ordeal, one as many as three times.
“The emotional scars will last a little longer than the physical ones,” she stated.
“I really thought I was going to die, but I said to myself, ‘I was going to die trying,’” shared Grant-Johnson, who disclosed that she had previously discharged her service pistol only once when she came under gunfire while working in Kingston Central some time ago.
“I believe the police, the woman, and especially the mother in me just came together in those moments, and the Christ that is also in me protected me, and I just thank God that I am here and the outcome was how it was, because it could have been very different,” reasoned Grant-Johnson, who prides herself on being a devout Christian.
She further encouraged parents to be on the alert at all times, even in the comfort of their homes.
Two hundred and six persons were recognised for their service to the nation at this year’s National Honours and Awards ceremony.
NOTHING TOPS THIS – ATKINSON
The list was headed by renowned singer, songwriter and actor, Harry Belafonte, who could not be present for the event. The 91-year-old earned the Order of Merit, the country’s thirdhighest award, for his outstanding contribution in the field of music.
Standout Jamaican swimmer Alia Atkinson was also among the honourees. She was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for outstanding representation of Jamaica in the field of swimming and being the first black woman to win a World Championships title.
“I don’t think anything else that I’ve done so far tops it,” Atkinson told The Gleaner.