Mother of murder victim says son knew his life was in danger
The tenth of September was mostly peaceful with few reports of unlawful activities during the day but there was heightened security around the city. But the night did not pass without a homicide. The most recent murder victim is twenty-four year old Collin Smith, better known as “Chingwang”. He was shot four times after midnight Wednesday on Jasmine Street, a short distance from his home on Tibruce Street. His foster mother says she thought he was inside his home when she heard of the incident. Lolita Smith also said that despite several run-ins with the law, Collin was trying to turn his life around.
Lolita Cristina Smith, Mother of Murder Victim
“My bredda hail me bout quarter to one o’clock. Ih seh mi sistah da weh yo son deh? I tell ah bwai dah man deh eena ih house. Ih seh yo sure? I tell ah yes. He look round my yaad, he seh he no see my bike. Ih seh weh yo bike deh. I tell ah mi bike, mi bike deh behind the house. Ih seh mi sistah, but I noh see yo bike deh. I tell ahn bwai stop play. So I put on some clothes and I come out and when I look fi true, my bike noh deh there, but Chingwang bike is there. So I shub open Chingwang house. And when I shub open Chingwang house, Chingwang no deh deh. So I decide now I believe my bredda weh he di tell me now. Ih seh mi sistah da man dead. I tell ahn, hmm No. And I run outside. When I run outside and I gwen on my way to Tibruce Street, I buck some guys and they tell me miss they just kill your son. I tell ahn, weh part ih deh. They eh ih body deh pan Jasmine Street. I tell ahn, oh my god mien. I seh, hmm, look weh they do to mi now. They tek Chingwang from me. You know and I turn back home and when I turn back home, I decide fi like sit up ‘til morning. All I could do dah just cry and memba he because he mi very nice to me. He never disrespect me yet. He neva upstart to me, you know. I been to Hattieville Prison and when I come out I try mek it up back with he. And he end up back yah so with me, the live with me yah. I tek ahn like wahn nice son. I no know if he and anybody out there got problem and thing because he like come and complain to me about several things. And I tell ahn yoh have to lef people to god. You know and he mi di change ih life, ih got wahn two year or three year old daughter and he wahn sadly miss by ih friends and also me and ih rest ah relative they.”
Jose Sanchez
“He mi did have some idea that someone was out to get him?”
Lolita Cristina Smith
“Yeah, yeah. He mi have some ideas that someone mi wahn kill he because everyday he chat this to me and tell me ma they wahn kill me directly, you know. I tell ahn Chingwang, I tired ah here stupidness that you di tell me about people wahn kill you directly. I seh why yo no go dah station go mek the report then. Ih seh ma I no wahn deal with that you know, I noh wahn deal with that. If they ready fi come, mek they come ma no problem with me. Ih seh I ready. I tell ahn ok Chingwang, no problem”
Police say that a Creole man on a bicycle was seen looking down at the victim, before riding towards Mahogany Street. No one has been arrested for the crime and the motive has not been established.
