Last words of murdered St James man: 'Mom, Dad, I'm going home'

Amidst the pain and confusion of losing his only son, Ronnie Collins is calling on young men to think carefully before resorting to violence.

Collins' son Jelani Collins, 41, was shot several times while trying to start his car near his home on Bombay Street, St James, on Thursday night.

Investigators said Collins tried to run away from his attacker but collapsed in a nearby manhole.

Passersby took him to the St James Infirmary, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Speaking with Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Friday, the elder Collins emotionally recalled his last interaction with his son, minutes before he was gunned down.

"He lives over the main road, but sometimes he comes to our house after selling his produce to take a shower. Last night he came in and took a bath.

"Of course, I didn't know this would be the last time I would be speaking with my son, but he said, 'Mom, Dad, I'm going home.'

"Now that he is dead I interpret those words different.

"Last night when I heard the shots I went back inside and told my wife that in the morning you might hear somebody got killed – not knowing it was my son that died."

While he had a temper, his father said, Jelani kept to himself.

He hoped other young men could learn from this incident and think about the consequences of their actions before attacking others.

"Think about what certain actions are going to get you. Think about where you could end up by being hasty or hot-headed. You can end up in prison or the morgue if you aren't careful with the way you handle certain things."

Collins said his son grew and sold vegetables out of his home. He said his son enjoyed growing crops and had intentions to expand his garden at his home to facilitate more produce to sell.

Police from the Homicide Bureau of Investigation Region 1 are continuing enquiries.