Murder victim's mother: He would still have been alive in Jamaica

The mother of Jamaican-born tradesman Jemal Jones believes her son would still have been alive if she and the family had chosen to remain in Jamaica rather than migrating to Trinidad.

Jones, 28, was shot dead near his home at Aboud Circular, St James, on Wednesday afternoon when he asked a man to stop firing a gun in the air near the house.

He was the ninth person killed on Wednesday.

Speaking with Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Friday, Jones' mother Charmaine Grant lamented the violence in Trinidad, saying the prevalence of murder was too much for her to understand.

She and her son came to Trinidad 13 years ago.

"You can't just come and fire shots like nothing, what do you think this is? You think this is a war zone? This is Trinidad!

"I didn't know I would bury my son here, because I know he don't trouble nobody. He's a Muslim. All he does is pray."

She said her son worked hard as a tradesman in tiling and plumbing.

"I am so devastated. I mean, crime is everywhere we go, no matter where we go – but I believe if I was still in Jamaica this wouldn't happen to him, because he don't trouble nobody."

Grant said she believed the issue stemmed from an incident earlier this year when Jones' car was broken into.

She called on the police to do more to get guns off the street.