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Popular social media figure Shana-Kay 'Itsthickiana' Hanson has clapped back at critics who have slammed her relationship with 20-year-old Kaleave Thomas, her boyfriend who was murdered on Sunday.

Hanson, who is in her mid-30s, said she and Thomas had been romantically involved for over a year, despite having known each other for a long time. She brushed aside comments suggesting the age gap was inappropriate, insisting that Thomas was far more mature than many older men.

"Kaleave was very hardworking, respectable, mature and more courageous in comparison to some a dem big grey tone man yah. None a dem big grey tone man yah whe mi see a walk round a give trouble cannot walk in my man shoes as it relates to manship and manhood," she said.

He was very mature for his age, and was a big man in a small body. Sometimes I didn't even remember his age, I just know that he wasn't underage," she added.

A hail of bullets ended the blooming love story of a couple early Sunday morning. According to police reports, residents of Banbury, Linstead, St Catherine, alerted the police after hearing explosions before dawn on Sunday. Upon the lawmen's arrival Thomas, 20, was found laying in a pool of blood with what appeared to be several gunshot wounds. He was taken to the Linstead Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Hanson described Thomas as a determined and enterprising young man who was always looking for honest ways to earn a living. She said he ran his own fruit business and was well respected in the community for his reliability and work ethic.

"Before him reach 20 him have him fruits business, and on days when him didn't have the money to buy, people would credit him and him pay at a later date," she said.

"Him have construction skills, so anywhere the site work deh, him would find it. If a contractor nuh call him one morning fi work, him take up him shovel and level, and anywhere him see work a gwane, him go ask if him can get any," she added.

For Hanson, her lover's death remains a shock and a mystery.

"If he was a trouble-maker we could have prepared our mind for when something happens to him, but he wasn't. Kaleave wasn't a violent person and was not involved in any criminal activities, so we nah expect dis," she said.

Hanson last saw Thomas alive on Saturday night when he left saying had planned to attend a wake for the mother of one of his friends. The following morning that she was alerted by a neighbour that a body matching his description had been found in a nearby lane.

"All this time mi a hope say it was a mistake because mi just never expect him to come back around here suh, but when I went I realise, it was him laying on the ground," Hanson said.

Struggling to cope with the sudden loss, Hanson said both she and her children are devastated, as is Thomas' family.

"I am not doing good as his death took a toll on mi and my two kids dem. His family is not doing well either.