‘She was my baby girl’ Mother shattered after daughter’s deadly shooting

Maureen Haynes-Taylor is struggling to accept that the daughter she cherished for 21 years is gone.

The Waterford, St Catherine mother was left devastated on Monday after Brianna Taylor, her “baby girl” and the light of her home, was shot and killed in Mall Road, St Andrew.

The 21-year-old’s death has plunged her family and community into mourning, with loved ones describing her as a kind, pleasant and ambitious young woman whose smile touched everyone around her.

A 22-year-old driver, identified as Michael Angrin, was also killed in the attack, while another man was injured.

For Haynes-Taylor, the loss is almost impossible to process. Brianna was more than just her daughter — she was the child she had dreamt of having. When THE STAR visited the family’s Waterford home yesterday, grief hung heavily over the property. Relatives sat quietly, their faces reflecting the pain of losing a loved one so suddenly.

Amid the pain of losing her daughter, Haynes-Taylor recalled the excitement in her house when they found out the baby she was carrying was a girl. After welcoming two sons, she was finally having the daughter she had always hoped for.

They named her Brianna — a child who would become the centre of their world and the joy of home. Haynes-Taylor, overwhelmed by the tragedy, had to be assisted onto the verandah. Tears filled her eyes as she spoke about Brianna.

“Everybody love Brianna and the community is so shaken up by her death. It hard to come to terms with her death,” she said.

Haynes-Taylor described her daughter as someone whose warm personality touched everyone she met. She said customers would often visit the shop where Brianna worked, simply because they wanted to be served by her.

“People would come to the shop just for her to serve them, because she was just so pleasant. They would say they want the pretty girl to sell them. She was really special and loved by all,” Haynes-Taylor said.

She said Brianna had left home on Monday to run errands, and she had no reason to believe anything was wrong.

However, about two hours later, her phone rang — and the devastating news began to unfold.

“I saw my son calling me on three-way, with someone else on the line. The person told me that they heard something about Brianna but they weren’t sure,” Haynes-Taylor recalled.

She said, shortly after, people began arriving and informing her that they had received calls that something had happened to her daughter.

“After that, a police call mi and seh him have my daughter with him. I told him I was coming and we went out,” she said.

Haynes-Taylor said she became suspicious when she was directed to go to Tranquility instead.

“That was when I realised she died and I almost died too. Her father identified her body,” she added.

According to a report from the Constabulary Communication Network, Angrin, who was also from Portmore, had stopped along Mall Road to deliver a package.

The report said a man approached the vehicle, collected the package, then threw it inside the car before opening gunfire at the occupants.

The three victims were taken to hospital where Brianna and Angrin were pronounced dead.

The St Andrew South police are investigating.

Haynes-Taylor said her daughter had big dreams and was working towards building a future for herself.

She said Brianna had a passion for make-up and hoped to become a successful make-up artist and businesswoman.

“Brianna like the make-up thing but she wanted to start her own business. She already began making contact with merchandisers and was just saving up her money to launch off,” Haynes-Taylor said.

She said Brianna had performed well academically at Camperdown High School, earning six subjects, and had planned to continue her education after taking time to work and save.

“She was my baby girl,” Haynes-Taylor said.