Kelvin Usher Remains Missing; Family and Friends Fear Worst
Kelvin Usher
A desperate search continues for missing seventeen-year-old Kelvin Usher. Family, friends, students as well as the police searched an area in Lucky Strike off the old Northern Highway for hours where the young student was last seen with his father, Cameron Usher Senior. But a number of questions are baffling the family. Strangely, in an initial report, police did not disclose that Kelvin was along with Cameron when a bust was made at a weed plantation on Sunday morning. The family says they attempted to make a missing person report, but were turned back on Sunday night by the cops. So far, Kelvin’s hat and a granola wrapper have been found and the Ushers have learnt that the cell phone of the teenager was located inside the impounded vehicle belonging to Cameron. It is now more than forty-eight hours since he was seen fleeing when the police opened fire on the duo; it is not known if Kelvin was hit or if the officers know more than they are saying. Nevertheless, time is of essence for the family. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Cameron Usher Sr.
Duane Moody, Reporting
There are more questions than answers in the case of a seventeen-year-old minor, who went missing on Sunday. Kelvin Usher was along with his father Cameron Usher Senior near this clearing, just about ten to fifteen minutes along a path through the forest off the Maskall Road. But around eleven a.m., a gang of GSU officers came up on the father and son and according to Usher Senior, the officers unwarrantedly opened fire on them, without warning. As the shots were blasted, Kelvin ran in fear of his life, but his father would be detained and charged in connection with one hundred and fifty marijuana plants found in the area.
Karima Williams
Karima Williams, Mother of Missing Minor
“He was in the vicinity; they were on a farm land that was not for their father or anything like that. They were all over that side and shorts were fired and they ran. They caught his father and he went missing. Shots were fired. Shots were fired. So if that’s the case, maybe he was injured, maybe down somewhere lying hurt. But we didn’t see any blood, but it rained.”
Voice of: Leniqua Usher, Sister of Missing Minor
“It mi confusing at one point because when I hear my pa get arrested, the first thing my mind went on was my brother because my pa noh wah deh ina bush by himself. This dah wah puzzling situation and up until the night and they found out that my bredda noh show up, that dah when we say the search wah start because we can’t left that baby out yah by himself.”
It’s been over two days now and there have still not been any word from Kelvin and since Monday, family and friends have been scouring the area in search of him; there, they found his grey warm hat and the wrapper of a granola bar, which he liked. This morning a bus load of his classmates, family and friends as well as residents along the Maskall Road converged at the location to search for the minor. Splitting up and taking different routes, exposed to the elements, Kelvin is nowhere to be found.
Karima Williams
“Now we knew of him being missing until late the evening and at that time we had a search party going out in the night and we couldn’t find anything. The rain and stuff, as much as my sons and them didn’t want to stop we had to come in. We went yesterday and we did a search as well and we didn’t turn up anything. But we are doing a search [today]; his father is already combing a different area because the hunters are telling us if he was going straight or kept on going, he would have ended up by some place called Rock Stone Pond. We are going—with other people—we are going to sweep the other area so we are going to eventually reach half-way. So we are going to cover the whole terrain.”
But in its official report on Monday, the police issued a picture of Usher Senior standing at the center of the weed plantation, but he says he was taken there by the GSU before his picture was taken. Requests for interviews from police to add clarity have been denied, but the family questions whether there is a cover up afoot since the police failed to mention that another person was with Usher Senior and worse that shots had been fired. Even more interesting is that today, several of the GSU officers joined in the investigation and search for Kelvin.
Nello Player
Nello Player, Relative of Missing Minor
“Just how everything di flesh out, I don’t like it so far. From the little that I know and how the whole story was reported I noh think that ih do it justice. I don’t think dah wah truthful story so that immediately raise wah red flag. Just the way how the story reported, never once they mentioned that somebody else mi deh with Mister Usher, Cameron. And they say they find him middle of the field; the man neva deh pan no field. They find him outside of the boundaries of the field and most importantly about fifteen shots were fired. Not one mention of a shot was mentioned on the news, so again a next red flag. So I noh know weh dehn into. I noh know if dah the police or whoever.”
In the aftermath of the incident, Leniqua Usher gets a message from a GSU officer. Several comments made by the officer has her suspicious. Her brother’s phone, which he reportedly had on him, was discovered inside Usher Senior’s pickup truck that was impounded from the scene and taken to the Queen Street Police Station.
Voice of: Leniqua Usher
“I get wah text – I mi think dah just wah random person di check on me wah know if they find my bredda and ih okay. Well I know everybody mi know ih noh okay, dehn noh find ahn. So I decide to call the number the person tell me who he was and then I dah like oh how you get my phone number and then he dah like you give me your phone number and this phone number new and I noh wah give police my phone number. Then he dah like I just di check pan unu make sure unu okay. And so I ask him if he was part of the search and he said no. And so in the night last night, he had my daddy phone from when they arrest him and he called me to meet him and give him the phone. And so he asked me again if I find my bredda and it was like no we deh di search. Dah like we can’t search dehn bush yah dah night cause it very dark. And then he dah like, he run when he see we man; he run when he hear dehn shots.”
Despite feeling that they were not receiving full support from the authorities, the caravan arrived at the location today to find police officers, joined by the canine unit and several GSU officers carrying out searches in the area.
The media accompanied others in the search of the general area; which consisted of multiple paths that led to one location.
Nello Player
“It’s not hard to navigate dah back there. We walk back there one time and it is pretty much a road cut out already; yo could find yo way back. Any civilian or any individual I believe could make it through there, traverse through there and come out safely. The road noh deh far at all, about ten minutes away from the road. So again, I really want the relevant authorities to step in. And next thing, the officers who were actually on the scene of the crime or who were actually shooting di shots are the ones out here working the scene. I don’t see how that right; that is direct conflict of interest.”
Kelvin, a student at the Saint John’s College Junior College, is described as very humble and promising youth. He is one of six children to Karima Williams and Cameron Usher Senior. Williams remains hopeful that her son is alive.
Karima Williams
“As a mother, you feel certain thing and I have not felt that as yet. I was there searching from him and Kelly-Pooh – that’s our name for him, Kelly-Pooh – where are you? Mommy is here. Let me know what’s going on. I haven’t physically slept. I looked at all his pictures from baby going onwards to get a sign to let him know where are you. Where are you? We are here. So I am hoping and praying. I am a woman of faith that he is somewhere there just waiting.”
Voice of: Leniqua Usher
“Somebody must know where he deh from the police force and we just di ask if ih dead, just put ih body somewhere, we need lee closure.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
Usher Senior was arraigned on Monday in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court for cultivation of cannabis plant. He was given bail of ten thousand dollars, which he met.
