Intended Target Speaks as Couple Shot in Roaring Creek; Thomas Henry Succumbs
Thomas Henry
The fourth murder on Tuesday night occurred in Roaring Creek Village at about ten-thirty. Thomas Henry was gunned down inside his house less than a month after relocating to the village. Henry and his common-law-wife Kimberly Smith heard shots in the yard and when she looked out of her window, the gunman fired several shots in her direction, killing Henry inside the house and injuring Smith. Fortunately, the three children in the house escaped unharmed. It is reported that about a year ago, another attempt was made on Henry’s life, but he escaped that one. But this time was he just at the wrong place at the wrong time? His brother-in-law Orlando Smith believes so. He tells reporter Andrea Polanco that he was the intended target, not Henry. Here’s more from the latest homicide in Roaring Creek.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Thirty-one-year-old Thomas Henry was shot and killed in front of his common-law-wife Kimberly Smith and three young children inside his home here in the Another World Area in Roaring Creek Village. But Henry wasn’t the target – this man was – twenty-two-year-old Orlando Smith. Around ten-thirty on Tuesday night, two gunmen walked in the yard looking for Smith, who is Henry’s brother-in-law. He ran for his life – jumping a fence and dodging bullets. He says he is lucky to be alive – or else he would have been a dead man on his birthday today – and he doesn’t know why.
Orlando Smith
Orlando Smith, Brother-in-law of Murder Victim
“I lucky fi be alive right now because last night I mi di out yonder done the drink with my friends them like from three o’clock and thing. I reach home yah like ten o’clock and when I reach yah I mi gwein buy wah next round fi deh mek deh drink “green thing.” I mi gwein up yonder fi buy them and when time I di open the door, I done gone knock pahn my sista window and when I open the door and turn my back and reach fi open the door I hear she tell me run and I still neva see dah who yet. I turn round fi see dah who then I see two gun-man di come inna the yard and thing. All I could ah mi do dah just – I neva know how I do that. I just run and jump that fence back there and deh fire two shots after me and she say deh shoot fi she bwai.”
Andrea Polanco
“Suh dah mi you deh come fah?”
Orlando Smith
“Dah me deh come fah. Dah me dah mi the intended target. Deh fire two shots from like by my gateway deh so.”
Andrea Polanco
“And you nuh know why deh man deh come fi you?”
Orlando Smith
“I nuh know why deh come fi me. I think deh just mussie di hate pahn the way how we live.”
Andrea Polanco
“And you neva di get no threats or anything?”
Orlando Smith
“I neva di get no threat. Deh ya dah the first threats – suh I seh dah like deh nuh even the come fi talk; deh just di look finish deh job and thing.”
Andrea Polanco
“You nuh recognize deh yah man?”
Orlando Smith
“I nuh recognize deh. I nuh even know dah who them. “
Andrea Polanco
“You nuh got no enemy? You cyaa think about any reason why somebody would want to do this to you?”
Orlando Smith
“I nuh got no enemy bout yah because I dah wah well-known man pahn this village;everybody know me.”
Kimberly Smith is not only grieving today – but she is also injured. When she heard the shots fired in her yard she opened this window to see what was going on and that is when the assailants unleashed the bullets on her house.She was hit in the lower back. Luckily, her three children inside escaped uninjured. Smith vows that her partner’s murder will not go unpunished.
Kimberly Smith
Kimberly Smith, Common-law-wife of Murder Victim
“Deh wah kill we right. But this time we innocent. I just want say we innocent this time. Deh shot up me first and then he. Deh shot up fi we house. We mi di sleep. Miss he dah neva the intended target. Why deh neva just run then or go. Weh we have to do? We mi di sleep – dah through my house – see the bullet holes deh – three. Three shot through my house.”
Andrea Polanco
“Why you think deh shoot ah? He mussie see dah who?”
Kimberly Smith
“Deh shoot through we house – we nuh si. But I di tell you; I di tell you. I nuh got nothing more fi say. I personally have to say this nuh gwein like that.”
Andrea Polanco
“All ah this happen right in front of your kids?”
Kimberly Smith
“Everything happen in front of my three-baby deh mi deh inna this house with me. I could ah mi dead. Two ah we get shot the same spot. I get shot inna my lower back.”
It appears the killers were following Orlando Smith – he was out bringing in his birthday – but as he made the trip home – the two assailants were trailing him on foot. The men reportedly fired as many as five shots – three shattered through the plywood walls of Henry’s home and one fatally hit him in the chest. He fell and died here on the floor in front of the bed. But why kill Henry?
Orlando Smith
“My bra-lee scream out when he hear the shots; my sista scream out and dah then they know people inna the house because deh mi done di run out back and turn inna the direction ah deh suh. So, when they hear my sista scream out deh mussie say some people in yah and we nuh want no witness. They fire several shots and deh time all my lee nephew them deh on the ground deh mi di sleep and thing.”
Andrea Polanco
“Dah nuh the case ah weh, “we neva ketch Harry, suh we ketch ih shirt?”
Orlando Smith
“Dah wah case like that yes. Dah wah case like that. They done see deh cyaa hold me because I done run gone so and jump the fence dah back deh and I see them gwein di run out back.”
Andrea Polanco
“Two ah dem mi armed or only one?”
Orlando Smith
“Two ah dem mi armed. One mi armed with wah long gun and the next one armed with like wah 9 millimeter.”
Andrea Polanco
“Is this the first attempt on your life?”
Orlando Smith
“That dah my first attempt; first, first attempt on my life and the first escape.”
Andrea Polanco
“Yuh really lucky fi be alive today on your birthday?”
Thomas Henry
Orlando Smith
“What? Nuh must. I feel happy, yes and today dah my birthday.”
Andrea Polanco
“Yuh nuh fear that deh yah man wah come back after yuh? “We nuh ketch ah the first time, we ah come back fi ah?”
Orlando Smith
“I nuh fear. I nuh fear, mien. Them just ketch me when I neva ready. They ketch me off guard.”
Dewey Richards was one for the first responders on the scene after the murder. He says the shots pierced the usually quiet air neighborhood. He ran to Henry’s house, but he couldn’t help.
Dewey Richards
Dewey Richards, First Responder/Neighbor
“Me and my gyal mi di watch TV bout 9’clock and we say we gwein go sleep. But between sleep and wake we hear “ pow, pow” and when I run out and tell ah somebody get shot. She say dah popshot and I tell ah dah nuh that, that dah gun. I hear somebody di scream out and I tell ah somebody mussie dead from dah house yonder. I see people di come from all about and so I come and check. When I look inside, I just see the bwai on the ground yah suh inside the house. So, I ask them if they want help because I come help them put the person – because I mi say ih nuh dead – but fromI pick up the person I tell them this person done dead already.”
Andrea Polanco
“Unu mi know each other?”
Dewey Richards
“Yes. Dah mi neighbour dis. I know ah as Tom. I neva know weh he name but dah just wah neighbor.”
Andrea Polanco
“He dah mi wah easygoing person?”
Dewey Richards
“Easy going this side, yes. But I nuh know why deh tek ih life fah. I nuh know.”
Henry’s mother-in-law Carol Smith has a house in the same yard – she wasn’t at home when the tragedy unfolded. She says it is the first time something like this has visited her yard – and just three weeks after her daughter and son-in-law moved here temporarily.
Carol Smith
Carol Smith, Mother-in-law of Murder Victim
“I am hurt. He was a humble man growing around me. He was here going for one month – they just come here. They neva come to live, just to spend some time with me and they were going back to Orange Walk. Well, sadly, it didn’t happen.”
Andrea Polanco
“Are you concerned, Ms Smith, that these men were – it is very likely – they were after your son?”
Carol Smith
“Well, that is the call I get at work. I don’t know and I don’t want to stress on that.”
Andrea Polanco
“Are you concerned for your safety?”
Carol Smith
“For me, I don’t live a life of fear.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
