Linden teacher murder: “She begged him for her life” – Family speaks out after horrific attack

– suspect arrested hours later

Hours after a 26-year-old teacher and mother of three, Jenel Pollydore was gunned down at a wedding in Linden, police apprehended her reputed husband, 21-year-old Shaka Vaughn Phillips, during an operation led by Superintendent Austin in South Amelia’s Ward. Phillips, also known as “Concrete Man,” is in custody as investigations into the brutal killing continue. The suspect, who is unemployed and resided at Central Amelia’s Ward, is alleged to have executed Pollydore in a cold-blooded shooting at the R&R Hotel around 21:20h Saturday night.

According to the police, the couple had been in a relationship and were cohabiting, but Pollydore had reportedly separated from Phillips after enduring repeated physical abuse. A restraining order had been taken out against him, but that did not stop the violence. The victim’s niece, Malika Pollydore, told investigators that they were attending a wedding reception at the hotel when the incident occurred. Pollydore was standing near the hotel’s gate when Phillips approached her and questioned why she wasn’t answering his phone. An argument followed, during which he pulled out a handgun and shot her.
She ran toward the pool area inside the hotel, but Phillips reportedly chased her and fired two more rounds. Pollydore collapsed and lay motionless on the floor. Police, upon arrival, discovered her body with gunshot wounds to the right side of her face and the back of her head. Two 9mm spent shells were recovered at the scene. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the Linden Hospital Complex.

In a live video interview conducted by Simona Broomes—a former Government Minister and member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) under the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC)—the woman’s stepmother, Madonna Pollydore, gave an emotional account of receiving a chilling phone call.

Family speaks out
“She asked me yesterday to take care of the baby, she wants to go to a wedding. At approximately 8 o’clock, she messaged me back and she said she was waiting on a car and that she will be home shortly… then not long after, she called and I heard, ‘Madonna, I get shoot. Then couple minutes after somebody take the phone and you hear them saying come to R&R hotel now”.
The stepmother said her cousin, who witnessed the incident, described how Pollydore had begged for her life. “She said they were waiting on the car and the individual came up there and started an argument … he pull out the gun and she start to beg. She said don’t kill me, don’t kill me went on her knees, begging him, ‘Stop, don’t shoot me”, she explained.
“He shot a first bullet at her and she run behind her and that was when she was shot two more times… she begged him for her life. Even though she got shot, she get up and she run”.
The family would go on to detail a disturbing pattern of harassment and abuse.
“He tried to stab her before”, her father stated. He would show up at all hours. He even threw gasoline on himself to light himself on fire. He took her phone and he damaged it. Once, in front of the children, he started lashing himself in the head with a hammer.” Repeated reports were made to the police, but the family claims their pleas for help were ignored. “We were told they didn’t have a patrol. One officer even told us to ‘throw stale pee’ on him. They did nothing.”
Despite a restraining order and ongoing complaints, Phillips allegedly continued to stalk Pollydore, showing up at her workplace, home, and other locations, even as she tried to protect her children. The most recent of the couple’s three children is just three months old.
The victim had confided in friends that she feared for her life. In a voice note shared online, Pollydore said she broke up with Phillips because he had “started acting like he was running mad.” She said, “I didn’t block him because I didn’t want to take his child away from him.”
The family claims that Phillips’ mother also played a role in the tragic outcome. “She told us if Jenel leaves her son, he’s going to die”. It was like she was saying that the girl was basically obligated to stay with him, like she had no choice.”
Now, they are calling for justice. “She tried. She did everything. We made the reports. She got the restraining order and still, she died,” the stepmother lamented. “When she was alive they did nothing, now that she dead, a set of them guarding her body. For what?!” she asked.