…And the family of the accused says he’s innocent
The Plues Street youth who was detained after the murder of Sharife Smith was charged today for Keeping an Unlicensed Firearm Without a Gun License when he appeared in Family Court today and was sent to Boot Camp until May fourth. Late this evening, a concerned family member came by our studios to say that the sixteen year old is innocent.
Jose Sanchez
“How do you know your family member didn’t commit this crime?
Voice of: Relative of detained 16 yr. old.
“Because wah Lady come soon this morning and di lady tell we she see when di police shot di boy and di boy run eena di bush and then dehn drive off and gone and left di boy weh mih deh wit ah. Den after dat, dehn deh round and round with gun, deh all eena di yard and all about di place. Den dehn gone di young man, he just mih di come home, get enna ih house. He just mih di knock fi mek dehn let ah in and then when dehn come, dehn tell di young man “Da weh yoh di dodge, da weh yoh di dodge?”. He she he noh di dodge because he mih half black-up but he neva dat nice. So he tell dehn he neva dat nice, so he tell dehn “I noh eena da violence world” like dat, so dehn—I tell ah mek ih gone inside and ih gone inside. So when yoh look dehn come back da night, well I haffi goh ker dis young man because dis young man—we haffi detain ah fi wah shooting weh gone on, like dat.”
Jose Sanchez
“The police said they found him with a fire arm so they have to charge him for that”
Voice of: Relative of Detained 16 yr. old.
“Well as far as I know, ih neva had no fire arm. As far as we know because da three a we mih deh deh, ih neva had no firearms.”
Jose Sanchez
“The person who told you gave you this story about someone else committing the murder. Have you told this person to go to the police? Has that person gone to make a statement?”
Voice of: Relative of detained 16 yr. old.
“I tell dehn but ah tell yo people fraid due to weh dehn di come kill yo and kill yo, when dehn know you know something, dehn come kill yo.”
The youth pleaded guilty to the charge of keeping a firearm without a gun license, but Magistrate Alberta Perez did not accept his guilty plea because a parent or guardian was not present and he was also not represented by an attorney.
