Mother of Rancho Quemado murder victim: My son was bad

While some mothers would want to conceal the wrongdoing of their children, Michelle Alexander, the mother of murder victim Antonio Alexander, says she wants to be as honest as possible about her son's life and admits that he had a reputation in their community.

Speaking with reporters outside the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Wednesday, the elder Alexander said while she was grieving the loss of her sons Antonio, 28 and Shaquille Dottin, 23, both of whom were shot dead in a car at South Trace, Rancho Quemado, on Tuesday afternoon.

She said Antonio had a fiery temper and was not afraid of anyone.

Their cousin Jabarri Toby and Alaifa Augustine, both 17-years-old were also killed in Tuesday's shooting.

"Antonio was bad and I'm not ashamed to tell anyone that. He didn't take crap from anyone not even the police, but he loved me and his sister. He would fight anyone for us. He was loving despite his flaws."

Asked what Antonio did for a living, his mother said, "He did everything that was possible to live and support himself."

While she described Antonio as being bad, Alexander described her younger son, Dottin, as a "mama's boy" who enjoyed living life and pursuing women.

"Shaquille did everything to support himself legally. He liked women to mind him. They would always go places together like two peas in a pod. They were inseparable."

She said Dottin had two children, a four-month-old boy and a four-year-old girl.

Asked what they felt could be done to reduce the number of murders in the country, Alexander said no one was safe from being murdered as we were all potential victims at any given time.

She also said that parents should not be held accountable for the actions of their children as they have minds of their own.

"People blame parents for what children do but that isn't always the case. We can lay down the rules of the house and take them to church for them to get more spiritual but children are born with their own minds.

"Once a child makes up their mind to do something he will do it. I am okay with corporal punishment, look at how many children are being arrested and making jail."

Newsday also spoke to Toby's relatives who said, despite repeated warnings to stay away from Antonio, Toby continued to meet with him.

One relative said Toby was in the car because he was offered a drop to his mother's house down the street, but he never arrived.

"He was a really good fella. He was about to finish school in May. We warned him about hanging out with those guys but you know how it is when you're that age. He was liming with his big cousins when he was killed."

Toby was a student of the Siparia West Secondary School and had plans of joining the Military Led Academic Training (MILAT) programme after graduating.

Relatives said Antonio also offered to drive his brother to the police station where he wanted to make a report for a missing national identification card.

The autopsies of Antonio, Dottin, Toby and Augustine were postponed to Thursday.