Goodas Stunts defies disability - Teen dazzles on bike despite losing leg in shocking shooting

Despite losing her leg last October in a bizarre shooting incident, 18-year-old Rienna Wallace, known by her alias 'Goodas Stunts', has not let that stop her from enjoying what she loves - doing stunts on motorcycles.

"Everybody rate me because [of] bike life. I fix bike engine, everything on bike, since I was around 11 years old," she proudly shared.

Growing up in Norman Gardens, east Kingston, Wallace's passion for motorcycles was ignited early on. Her family's yard, home to a bustling motorcycle repair shop, was always teeming with bikes in need of her skilled hands.

Wallace was only 13 years old when her mother died. The loss of her mother led to her spending more time around her male relatives and friends, and this became the gateway to her world of motorcycles. The young teen dreamt of showcasing her riding skills and wowing fans with her motorcycle stunts. She had earned the respect of persons in her community for her ability to perform various manoeuvres. However, last October, her life took a dramatic turn while she and fellow bikers were driving along Oxford Street in downtown Kingston. Wallace recalled that there was gunfire in the area, which was being patrolled by a contingent of soldiers from the Jamaica Defence Force.

"The soldiers, it's like them hear the shot dem a fire and think seh a we. About 10 of us was riding, and the soldier dem just start fire shots," she said, her emotions still raw from the ordeal.

Wallace was shot in the leg, but managed to drive her motorcycle to the nearby Kingston Public Hospital (KPH).

"When me get shot mi neva drop off a the bike, so mi ride go KPH, and a there so mi drop off and knock out," she said.

Good Samaritans assisted her inside for treatment. But the following day brought life-changing news.

"Wake up the next day, mi leg gone. Dem a say them haffi tek off the leg because it damaged, mi lose too much blood and them couldn't stop it," she recounted.

Another member of Wallace's riding party, Detroy Cummings, was also shot in the incident. He did not survive.

Assistant Commissioner of the Independent Commission of Investigations, Hamish Campbell, acknowledged that there is an ongoing investigation into the incident.

"While the investigation is nearly concluded, we're still waiting for the medical reports and the government's ballistic reports," Campbell stated.

Meanwhile, faced with the reality of navigating life as an amputee, a tearful Wallace said it was difficult to adapt. "[How I felt is] complicated in a lot of ways. Because certain things weh mi coulda do, mi can't do. Before bike, there was even football, and now I can't even play football," she said.

But Wallace, a mechanic, has rebounded from this loss by putting all her passion into bike riding.

"When mi deh pon mi bike and a wheelie it, it's like mi free, it's like I am out of this world," she said.

Relearning how to ride and doing stunts that others still can't, she said her motivation came from her peers.

"Look 'round me. No matter what, dem nah tell mi fi give up, so how mi fi give up?" she asked.

Wallace loves entertaining from the saddle, with the 'wheelie' being her signature move. Safety is also a priority for this daredevil; she never hits the road without her helmet.

Looking ahead, Wallace dreams of a brighter future. "I would love, in the future, to gain the money to get a prosthetic leg, but I would [also] love to get a better life of living for my family and friends," she shared.

She encourages other amputees in a similar situation to continue fuelling their passion.

"You can't allow anything to hold you back in life. I could have been my friend that died the same night," she said, pointing to a memorial button on her bike that pays homage to her fallen biker friend, Cummings.