Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Joan Brown-Lewellyn, Evelyn McFarland
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000076
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00:01 What was the worst day of your life?
00:02 Well, stay tuned to see my guest 00:04 whose story you will never forget... 00:07 It's one of tragedy and triumph. 00:09 My name is Yvonne Lewis and you're watching 00:12 Urban Report... 00:34 Hello and welcome to Urban Report... 00:36 Today you're going to hear a story 00:38 that is horrific... yet hopeful... 00:41 My guest is Joan Brown Lewellyn 00:43 Welcome to Urban Report Joan... Thank you for having me Yvonne, 00:48 It's so good to have you here... your story is so powerful... 00:54 Tell us a bit about your background... 00:56 Who is Joan? My name is Joan... 00:59 I am a God-fearing person... I am the last of 7 children 01:05 my mother had 7 of us... and she taught us 01:11 how to pray... how to trust God... 01:12 I was a paralegal formally but now I'm doing 01:17 the work of God... that He has saved me 01:19 for a purpose... and that's what I'm trying to fulfill 01:24 Amen... so tell us about... first of all... tell us about 01:29 your former husband... who was he? 01:33 Wayne Lewellyn was the 2nd child for his mother 01:40 and he was a police officer in Jamaica 01:43 couple of police... father of 3... 01:47 plus my daughter being 4th and 01:50 he was a quiet person 01:55 but jovial at times... but he was good at times... 02:00 it's surprising to see what... the devil has taken him over 02:05 and did to him... Tell us what happened 02:07 on that day... lead us up to that day 02:10 and then tell us what happened. Okay, we were married 02:14 for 13 years and you know in marriage you have good times 02:18 and bad times... and so we started having 02:23 marital problems... How far into the marriage 02:27 did you begin to have marital problems? 02:30 We were married for 13 years and about... 02:33 in the 6th year... is when the problem 02:36 really started... he got very controlling 02:41 obsessive and there were times when we just 02:46 couldn't see eye to eye... So Joan, you guys were married 02:50 for 6 years and before that he was... all good... 02:55 everything was pretty much fine? 02:57 Yes, everything was okay so far... 02:59 but there were times when he would just... 03:03 get very controlling... and angry of anything 03:08 and wanted me to be separated from my family... 03:11 because I'm a very family-oriented person... 03:14 we were going that way... and when I started noticing that 03:18 you know, I started to tell him that 03:20 I don't really like the idea 03:21 of being estranged from my family... 03:23 so we started having problems from there... 03:27 So, did he have any kind of history of drug use 03:31 or alcohol or anything like that? 03:33 No, No... he's not a person who who smokes... 03:36 he's not a person who drinks, he used to attend church... 03:40 so it's quite surprising to see what he really 03:45 ended up doing... Whoa, okay, so he was starting 03:49 to get controlling and he was starting to pull you 03:52 or try to pull you away from your family... 03:55 to isolate you... Yes... he did... 03:57 Okay... what else happened? And he joined the police force 04:01 and from then... I noticed the change... 04:05 he would stalk me... he would stalk my daughter... 04:11 Now, were you together at this point? 04:13 You said he would stalk you, were you... 04:15 We were together, yes, we were together... 04:18 if I go to work... I would see him parked 04:21 at my workplace... or he would just... show up. 04:24 Was he concerned about 04:27 infidelity... 04:28 was he accusing you of infidelity? 04:31 No... 04:33 because there weren't times when I could do anything 04:35 I was just from home 04:37 to church to work... so there wasn't any time 04:40 he didn't want me to keep friends either... 04:43 And so, he went from being ... a quiet... humble person 04:49 quiet, humble person to Mr. Stalker... 04:52 Yes... 04:53 Okay... continue... tell us what happened... 04:55 And in 2010... the problems began where I used to 05:02 to live in Ocho Rios, Jamaica... and he was 05:05 a police officer there so, he wanted to go back home 05:09 to Mandeville to build a family home there 05:12 so I said, "Okay... let us try that out. " 05:16 We moved back to Mandeville, Jamaica... 05:20 in 2010 of April... and in, say, maybe September 05:28 I noticed... it just got worse... 05:31 and I just started praying... because there were times 05:36 when I just know how to pray, that was my mother's 05:40 therapy 05:41 She said, "When you're in doubt, when you have problems, 05:44 just continue to pray, and ask God to lead and direct 05:47 your path... and that was what I did... 05:50 I started earnest fasting and prayer... 05:53 So you noticed... after this move back to his home 05:58 right, because that was his home Ocho Rios was his home or... 06:02 Mandeville... Mandeville, Jamaica 06:05 Mandeville... so you noticed after the move back 06:08 he just became... even worse more controlling, more stalking, 06:14 more all of those behaviors were exacerbated... I guess 06:20 after the move so and the policeman piece... 06:24 that had to be... kind of scary 06:25 because who could you go to 06:27 because he's a policeman... He's a police officer... 06:31 and what he did... he always searched my things, 06:35 my handbag, my dresser drawers, my daughter's bags, 06:40 everything, the phone, everything... 06:41 and being a police officer 06:43 he always told me that it makes no sense 06:46 if I complain about anything to any other police officer 06:49 because what police does is... they protect their own... 06:53 so there was nobody for me to complain to... 06:57 You had no one to turn to... Just my family and God... 07:02 Yes, yes... And my mother taught me that... 07:06 she taught the family... trust God in everything you do, 07:09 you just leave everything to Him... 07:11 there was a time when he would call my workplace, 07:16 discuss my family business 07:19 with my co-worker... he would call my friends 07:23 to find out... "Did Joan talk today... " 07:26 if they said, "Yes" 07:27 "So what did you talk about?" 07:29 he would call my daughter's friends 07:31 and do the same thing, he would visit her school... 07:34 He would go to her school? Yes he would go to her school. 07:40 And do what? and tell her to sit in her chair 07:44 there was one morning when she went to school, 07:47 and her friend told her, "Jay... " they call her Jay Jay 07:51 she was Georgeanne and she said, 07:54 "Your father was just here" so she said, "Daddy was here?" 07:56 and they said, "Yeah, he was sitting in your chair... " 07:59 and she said, "Why?" and her friend told her 08:02 "This is not the first time he did it... " 08:05 So he would just come to her school 08:08 and he wouldn't even have to see her... 08:11 he'd come and sit in her chair... 08:13 That was what she was told... Okay... so tell us... 08:16 There were times when I sat at my workplace... 08:20 and you know you just go to the window and look out... 08:24 there was the van... it was not like I was a person 08:27 who kept family... I mean... a lot of friends... 08:31 I didn't have time for that... 08:32 because I knew he didn't like it so I didn't bother to do it... 08:36 You know what Joan... this is so important... 08:38 because there are so many women 08:41 who are 08:42 in a similar situation 08:45 and they feel so trapped... and they don't know what to do 08:49 and so this is one of the reasons why 08:51 we are telling your story... because, your story... 08:55 while it is... just horrible... 08:59 it is still indicative of what's going on out there 09:04 that so many women are experiencing... 09:08 Yes it is... So tell us about the ultimate 09:11 day... what happened? The ultimate day... 09:14 that's a day I will never forget this happened on the 09:18 7th of April 2011 and as I said we were having public problems 09:24 and in January of 2011, I remember one Saturday morning 09:29 we got up to... I said we were going to church 09:32 got up... went into the kitchen looking after a little breakfast 09:35 and he came into the kitchen and we started to argue 09:41 and it went to the point where he got so loud and boisterous 09:49 that I sat on the veranda... I said that I wasn't going 09:53 to church... so I sat on the veranda... 09:56 and I noticed... he went into the room 09:58 he took out the wedding album, he took out the 10:02 marriage certificate, he took out the wedding pictures 10:05 and he went outside... and he just started burning them 10:08 and I said, "Why are you doing this?" 10:13 he turned to me and he said, "The marriage is over... 10:15 you can call your family and tell them to come for you 10:18 because there is nothing in the marriage for me... " 10:21 so I said, "Okay, I'll do that" Well, you see... 10:24 now what were you feeling at that point... 10:27 were you feeling... kind of a sense of relief 10:29 that he's going to back out from this marriage... 10:32 it's a nightmare for you... Yes, because that was something 10:35 that I prayed for... because he wasn't physically 10:38 abusive to me... he did not physically abuse me 10:42 until that fateful day... but he was psychologically, 10:45 mentally and emotionally abusive... 10:48 and I think... that is even worse... 10:51 Yes... that is even worse... 10:54 it just wears you down... It does... 10:57 It wears you down... you feel beaten down... 10:59 and after a while you wonder about where you're going to go 11:03 what are you going to do... yeah... 11:05 Yes... so after that incident, I moved back home... 11:10 and I remember... I started earnest praying and fasting... 11:14 and I said, "God, please use me as an instrument of your peace" 11:20 I said, "Use my life as an example to others... 11:24 that others might see your glory through me... " 11:28 you know, and I remember, my favorite Scripture 11:32 in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 4 verse 10... 11:36 Bless me oh Lord and enlarge my territory 11:39 and I went into earnest fasting and prayer 11:43 with that particular prayer First Chronicles you mean... 11:47 First Chronicles four verse ten Right... 11:50 and I remember... my mother started... 11:54 we just went into earnest fasting and prayer... 11:56 and sometimes we ask God to do certain things in our lives... 12:00 we don't know how... we don't know when... 12:03 and we don't know in what way... He's going to do that... 12:06 and I remember... I had my dream job... 12:09 in Jamaica... and I started working on the 12:14 5th of April 2011... and on the 7th of April 12:17 I got up that morning... got dressed... 12:21 I was about to go to work... when I heard 12:25 a barrage of gun shots A barrage of gun shots... 12:29 gun shots... yes... And this was in... 12:32 you're in your home now... In my home... 12:34 Now, did you live alone... whom did you live with? 12:36 I lived with my mother... I moved back home... 12:39 after he said, you know, "It's over... " 12:42 we went on for a month at the matrimonial home and then 12:45 and then... I went to work on the first of March... 12:49 and my co-worker told me about what he called him and told him 12:52 and I said that I could not work in that environment anymore 12:56 and so I moved back home to my mother... 12:58 What did he call and tell him... Joan? 13:00 he called and told him about my personal business 13:02 my life on the whole... you know... things... 13:07 I don't even want to remember... Hmmm... hmmm... 13:10 things so horrific... you know, 13:13 personal stuff that is between a husband and a wife... 13:16 should not be discussed with outsiders... that's my belief... 13:20 Absolutely... absolutely... 13:22 and when my co-worker could tell me... 13:24 personal details... I said, "I think that was it" 13:28 you know... so as I... going back to the story... 13:32 I got up that morning 13:33 and I was going to work... I heard a barrage of gunshots 13:38 so I went... out to the back of the house... 13:41 and I saw my brother... lying on the ground... 13:44 and then I looked down... 13:45 I saw my father lying in the washroom... 13:48 and I said... what was going on? 13:51 and so I head back into the living room 13:53 where I met my husband and my daughter... 13:56 Okay, just give me one second, you saw your father and 14:00 your brother lying down... were they dead? 14:02 My brother was dead, and my father was dead... 14:05 My brother got shot in his neck 14:09 and the blood was just spewing out... 14:12 and then my father... I saw the blood on the groin 14:15 and my father lying on the ground 14:17 so I was wondering what was happening... 14:19 and then when I went back into the living room 14:22 I saw my daughter and my husband standing 14:25 with a gun in his hand... and then... 14:28 my daughter started wrestling with him... 14:31 I said, "Daddy what are you doing... 14:34 why are you shooting up everybody?" 14:36 and he said to my daughter, "Because I love you guys... " 14:39 then he turned... and he hit my daughter in her face... 14:43 with the gun... and then he fired 3 shots after me... 14:47 I got shot in my neck right here so I fell on the ground... 14:52 and then... he went after my daughter 14:55 and my mother who was praying at her bedside... 14:58 she got shot... in her head 15:00 and in her stomach... 15:02 my daughter got shot in her stomach... 15:05 I was lying on the ground... then after he came back 15:10 lifted me up... to check if I was dead... 15:13 but I realized what was happening 15:15 so, I played dead... that time the blood was just 15:19 spewing from my neck... but I played dead 15:21 so that was what saved me that morning... 15:23 I had a girlfriend in the house, 15:26 and I told her... before the incident happened, 15:28 I told her to run... when I saw him in the living room... 15:32 I said, "Run and hide... " she ran and hid in my bedroom 15:36 in the closet... and so after he shot my mother 15:39 and my daughter... four people lying dead... 15:41 he came back and lifted me up just to check if I was dead... 15:45 and then he put me down and said, 15:47 "Joan, remember I love you" and stepped out... 15:50 Whew... Joan I mean... I... this is truly 15:58 one of the worst stories I've ever heard in my life 16:01 that day... you lost your mother, 16:04 your father, your brother, 16:07 My only child... 16:09 and your only child... to this maniac... 16:14 Yes... What... thank God you had the 16:18 presence of mind... to pretend 16:20 as though you were dead... because you really 16:21 would have been also... I would have been dead... yes... 16:24 So he runs out... you're left there bleeding 16:30 Yes... He runs out... what does he do? 16:33 He went... and he went to another family member's home 16:37 and he called her out... but she didn't come out... 16:41 so he just shot himself on the veranda... 16:44 but... he did not die on the scene... he died at the hospital 16:48 because after he shot me... there was a neighbor who came by 16:53 who saved my life... because he came by 16:57 and the back door was open but the front door was closed... 17:02 so he called out and he said, "Is anybody there?" 17:05 because everybody could hear the barrage of bullets 17:08 because after he shot up the whole family... 17:10 he went through the house... and he sprayed the house 17:14 with bullets again... because my brother from Japan 17:17 was supposed to be home the Wednesday night... 17:20 but he didn't come home... he canceled his flight... 17:25 and my sister... I have another sister... 17:26 who was supposed to be at home... 17:28 but she stayed at another friend that night... 17:31 so, I think everybody would have died that day... 17:36 Oh! that is so horrific... And my neighbor came by 17:41 and said... he called out and he said, "Is anybody there?" 17:44 and I said, "Yes, I'm in here... " 17:45 because when I got the shots 17:47 I just remember, "God, I ask you to intervene 17:52 at this time... " so I called... 17:55 my friend was there... I asked her to call my friend... 17:59 another police-officer friend of mine... 18:02 I told her to call my sister in America... 18:04 I told her to call my sister in Jamaica... 18:07 and up until now... I've not lost the consciousness 18:10 when I went to the hospital... I bled right out... 18:13 there was not a drop of blood left in my body... 18:16 I went blind that morning... but I just kept telling everyone 18:22 "Don't cry for me... please just pray for me... " 18:25 because I knew that my God was going to see me through... 18:28 Wow... Joan... I went through... the valley 18:31 of the shadow of death... Yes... 18:33 but my God was with me... Yes... yes you did... 18:38 you did... and so and he wasn't dead... 18:41 he was at the hospital... was he conscious? 18:45 I'm not sure because I was in another room 18:49 when they took him there... I was told that he was not dead 18:54 We have a picture of your injury... 18:59 so he shot you... and we'll put that picture up now... 19:04 of the injury... He shot me in my neck here... 19:07 it went down... at the side of my neck... 19:11 broke my clavicle... went back up... 19:15 came across my neck it shaved the 19:19 the C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae... and it came out 19:25 on the right side of my shoulder 19:26 I don't know how I am alive 19:29 but I thank God for being alive... 19:31 Amen... Because as I said, 19:33 I bled right out that morning... 19:34 nothing was left in my body... 19:37 I went totally blind but thank God 19:39 even though I lost all the blood 19:42 I did not lose consciousness and it was the hand of God 19:45 on my life... Amen... amen... 19:47 We also have a picture of your family members 19:51 that lost their lives... that day... 19:53 and it was your mother, your... 19:57 my beautiful mother, Rachel, she was 79... 19:59 and funny... she gets up every morning at five 20:02 and prayed for her children... 20:03 so I think that it was just her prayer that kept me... 20:05 she died at her bedside... praying... 20:08 she had her Bible and her Quarterly beside her... 20:11 when he killed her... My! and your dad... 20:16 was your dad surprised... your dad and your brother 20:20 were they surprised by him, you think? 20:22 Yes, because they didn't know what happened... 20:24 they didn't know what he'd been 20:25 because he left his home... early the morning 20:29 or during the night... went and he came... 20:31 he passed 3 parishes... in total, it would have been 20:36 maybe a 3-hour drive... from where he left from 20:40 to where he came... to do his act... 20:43 So, he wasn't even near you... he was 3 hours away from you... 20:50 Yes... He drove the three... 20:53 he had the presence of mind... to drive the 3 hours 20:57 and then... to just come in and spray everybody... 21:00 Everybody... My, my, my, my... 21:04 what a demonic 21:05 presence... It's a demonic act... 21:07 it's a horrific act... when I looked at him 21:10 that morning... I don't know what I looked at... 21:12 because... when I looked in his eyes... 21:15 I wasn't looking at him... Yeah... 21:19 I see a different person... I saw the demon... as man... 21:23 Yes... yes.. yes.. 21:24 because I think if you love somebody 21:27 or you love something... you cherish that thing... 21:29 you don't harm it... Oh yeah... 21:32 obviously he had no clue of what love was... 21:36 but obviously he was so deranged by this point... 21:39 you know... if you can come in and just kill everybody... 21:43 or kill anybody... you have some major, major, 21:47 demonic kinds of issues going on... 21:50 and he, obviously, needed some help... 21:53 he needed spiritual help, 21:55 he needed mental help, he was just gone... 21:58 So how did you... what happened after that... 22:01 you're in the hospital, you went blind... 22:04 how did you begin to recover... 22:07 how long did it take? I remember that morning 22:10 when I got shot... I wasn't blind for long... 22:14 I was blind for maybe about 3 hours or an hour about 22:18 and then I was transferred 22:20 to another hospital 22:21 in Kingston... which is... about a 3-hour drive 22:24 from where I was... 3- to 4-hour drive... 22:26 when I went to the other hospital in Kingston... 22:30 the doctor there saw me... and then he told me, 22:35 my sister that... "that's how she is going to 22:39 remain for the rest of her life, she won't do anything 22:41 for herself... ever again... " 22:44 because that's all I could do... was move my eyes... 22:47 and I looked at him, you know, I looked at him that morning 22:51 I said, "Doctor, you ain't God" I said, "You can't tell me 22:55 what I can... or I can't do... " I said, 22:59 "I'm going to walk again... by the grace of God... 23:01 I'm going to walk again... and I'm going to come back here 23:04 and I'm going to run a marathon... " 23:05 Wow... You know... 23:07 and my sister in Atlanta, 23:10 came down... 23:12 she's the first of the 7 children... 23:14 she came down... and when she saw me... 23:17 she came down two days after the incident... 23:19 and when she saw me... I gave her the most beautiful 23:22 smile ever... because when she came down 23:25 she did not know what to expect... 23:28 Yes... you know... and she said, 23:30 "Joan, I don't know what to say or do... " 23:32 I said, "Sis, just pray and leave everything... to God... " 23:37 She lives in Atlanta... she works at Northside Hospital 23:42 and she is now... the matriarch of the family 23:46 because my mother is gone... but she was replaced 23:51 by my sister... Wow... so you're living with 23:55 your sister now... correct... Yes, I'm living with her now... 23:59 and she called her supervisor here 24:03 and she told her supervisor exactly what happened... 24:06 and she went into action... That is just... 24:11 it's mind-boggling... Yes... it is... 24:14 Praise God... praise God for His healing power 24:20 for His power of restoration, you know... 24:24 where are you now? tell us what you're doing now... 24:26 Right now... I can see... Hmmm... hmmm... 24:30 because I was on oxygen for a month... 24:33 I did not do 24:36 any form of surgery 24:39 to remove the bullet fragments, 24:40 I still have more than 20 bullet fragments in my body... 24:43 because the type of bullet that was used to shoot me... 24:46 to shoot me... it was... they call it 24:51 the hollow-point bullet... on impact... it explodes... 24:55 in the body... so that when it hit my body... 24:59 and broke my clavicle... it exploded... 25:03 so even though they removed the bullet... from my body, 25:07 there in Jamaica... I still have bullet fragments 25:10 so right now... I'm doing intense therapy 25:15 at Shepherd Spinal Center... in Atlanta, Georgia... 25:18 I'm able to sit up in my chair, to clap my hands... 25:22 to feed myself.. to sing... 25:26 and I know... there's a lot more there to be done... 25:28 but, I really want to do the surgery... 25:32 to remove the bullet fragments. Praise the Lord... 25:35 I have found a doctor who is willing to do it... 25:37 but I don't really have the money to do it... 25:40 but... I know... I'm trusting God... 25:42 that he has opened the door and I'm going to walk 25:45 through that door... Amen... amen... 25:48 Tell us... we only have a couple of minutes left... 25:51 and your story has just been so amazing... 25:53 Tell us what God is using you to do... 25:55 how have you turned the situation into something 25:58 that makes a difference for others? 26:00 I will say... for a purpose... and that's my belief... 26:04 I want to help others... to know that there's a God 26:08 no matter what... there is a God 26:11 in whom you should trust... in Him at all times... 26:13 because even though I go through this tragedy... 26:16 I would like to tell myself that I am Job's relation 26:20 you know, I want to save others I want to show others 26:23 that even through tragedy... 26:25 trust God to do the work for you... 26:28 and I want to help young ladies... 26:31 to be aware of domestic abuse, you know, 26:34 I want to help them to let them know that 26:37 God is able to do anything for you... 26:40 just trust Him... I want to teach them more... 26:42 it's not only physical abuse... 26:45 that you get domestic violence from 26:49 you get it from emotional abuse as well as spiritual abuse... 26:53 and I want to educate others on that... 26:55 That is great... so you're very involved 26:59 in your Church's Disabilities Program... 27:02 Tell us a bit about that real quick... 27:05 I want to teach others that even though 27:09 we might be in a wheelchair... disabled in some way... 27:13 we still have our voice... Yes... 27:16 you know we still have our voice... 27:18 Yes... A lot of persons look at 27:20 disability as being... unable to move your physical body 27:24 but you have different types of disabilities... 27:29 Yes... You have speech troubles... 27:31 and I want to educate others on the different types 27:34 of disabilities... Well, you have certainly 27:36 educated us and we thank you so very much 27:39 for sharing your story... we pray that the viewers 27:42 will be blessed by it... and that they will be able 27:45 to have some hope themselves... 27:47 Thank you so much for joining us on Urban Report 27:49 Thank you for having me... 27:51 Our God is an awesome God isn't he? 27:53 He's given Joan the gift of life and a sense of purpose 27:56 and destiny... Thank you for joining us... 27:59 Join us next time... It just wouldn't be the same... 28:01 without you... |
Revised 2015-02-10