As grieving relatives of three-year-old Nazim Owen, yesterday lamented the state of the country as more children continue to be killed by illegal firearms – they also bemoaned the loss of morals and values and questioned what had become of the “unspoken” code where women and children were spared.
A female relative who requested her name not be used as she spoke with reporters at the Forensic Science Centre, St James said, “We are all sad, because it was an innocent soul here. He didn’t deserve this at all. They went to a wedding.”
Owen was part of a group returning from a wedding on Sunday morning, when their car was sprayed with bullets by gunmen in Diego Martin.
He was one of four people killed.
The others included Chelsea Julien, 28; Marcus Noel, 41; and Akil Keron, 22.
Indicating that gunmen no longer observe a previously held code where the lives of women and children were spared as killings were carried out, Owen’s relative said, “There are no boundaries or respect. It have no care for women and children right now. It’s just pure evil right now.”
She went on, “A man comes from woman and woman is the cradle of all civilization, but like everyone now forget that...they have no respect.”
Leaning against a wall as she tried to shelter from the morning sun, the woman continued, “I don’t know what is going on in this place.”
Still reeling from the circumstances which had left Owen dead, she said, “I will leave it to God.”
The relative smiled as she recalled the joy the little three-year-old brought to his family.
“Nazim was the life of the party.
“Even if you vex, when Nazim come around, he had a way to make you smile. He was always a joyful child.”
Asked what was his favourite food, she smiled broadly as she admitted, “He like to eat chicken.”
Little Nizam’s parents, who were also in the car at the time, survived the gun attack.
Police said gunmen were targetting a suspected gang member in the vehicle but opened fire on everyone.
Taxi-drivers urged to be cautious
Meanwhile, a relative of murdered taxi driver Marcus Noel is urging drivers to be more careful when accepting private hire jobs, as it could prove to be costlier than the fare being charged.
Noel, 41, of La Puerta, Diego Martin, was among several people who were shot by gunmen on Sunday, as the group was returning from a wedding.
The incident occurred around 1.20 am along the Diego Martin Main Road.
Four people were killed, including Noel, three-year-old Nazim Owen, 28-year-old Chelsea Julien and 22-year-old Akil Keron.
Joining the large group of people who turned up to identify loved ones following a four-day murder toll of 15, Noel’s relative confirmed he had accepted a job to drop and pick up the group from the event, which was held in Maracas, St Joseph.
Speaking with reporters at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, a female relative revealed that the father of two children, aged seven and eight, had been working as taxi-driver since leaving secondary school.
She recalled that his mother had always been urging him to get into a different line of work, as he was usually always plying other people’s cars.
Noel bought a car some time ago and had been working to restore it.
Although he had been operating as a taxi driver full time, the relative said, “He didn’t deserve that death. He stays to himself and only takes certain hire work. Everything about him was his two boy children. It’s hurting in ways that I can’t even explain.”
She expressed regret that she could not have done more to help him – even to warn against what had happened.
It is alleged that the brazen shooting occurred after a warring gang reportedly targeted the car because members of a gang operating in Diego Martin were occupants.
Asked to comment on the increased prevalence of gang-related killings, Noel’s relative shook her head as she said, “The police can’t do anything. I don’t think they can do anything.”
She recommended, “I think the police need to work with the soldiers like long time, so if something happens in La Puerta, they would go and do patrols and do house-to-house searches to be more aggressive.”
Revealing her last conversation with Noel surrounded the theft of his cell-phone by a school-girl who travelled with him – Noel’s relative went on, “My niece’s birthday was Friday and he messaged his birthday wishes that he loved her. That was the last message and the day of the wedding when I saw his status, I was contemplating calling him.”
Having posted several pictures and short videos to social media which showed him dancing and having a good time at the wedding – the woman said Noel’s mother passed away three months ago and he had been in a depressed state since.
However, upon seeing his social media updates, she said she felt happy that he was smiling and enjoying himself.
