Relative of murdered man: I tried my best with him

THE relative of a man murdered on Tuesday after he survived a gun attack months ago, said he did all he could to steer him away from a life of crime and reached his limit seven years ago.

In a telephone interview with Newsday, the man said: “I did all I could do. I try, I real try. I send him to the US and he came back on his own, to do what, lime whole day.”

Police reported that at about 4.24 pm on July 2, Sherwin Julien, 33 of Watts Street Curepe, was at Gate Boy's Bar, UWI, St Augustine, when two gunmen shot him. Julien, who was shot on March 10 at Kelly Village and survived that gun attack, died on the scene on Tuesday.

CCTV footage of the killing which was shared on social media showed a man entering the bar fidgeting with his pockets. He then puts himself in Julien’s way before shooting him in the neck. As Julien falls to the ground the gunman keeps firing, hitting him in the head and body. Then another man enters and shoots Julien as well. They both ran out of the bar after shooting him.

Julien’s relative, who asked not to be named, said he gave up on Julien seven years ago after all his efforts to lead him along the right path failed. He said Julien’s waywardness began around age 13. He said Julien was shot in March for selling marijuana in an area he was not authorised to and went to Curepe and repeated the same mistake.

“I thought, after the first time, he would have changed his ways but, nah, he never wanted to calm down. I know it (Julien being killed) was coming but I was still not expecting it.

"It still hurting me you know. When I heard it, I broke down and still aint ketch myself. But I did plenty. He just wanted to do his own thing.”

In an unrelated murder, the sister of Marvin “Scotty” Scott, who was murdered on July 29 in Laventille said she wants the place she once called home to return to the days it once was.

Speaking with Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre on Wednesday, Maria Scott said her older brother was the only sibling to remain in Laventille after everyone else moved out.

Police said Scott was found dead along Laventille Road at about 11.30 pm after residents reported hearing gunfire. Police said Scott appeared to have known his killers after CCTV footage showed him speaking to them for sometime before he was shot.

Scott, 44, who worked with the Port of Spain Regional Corporation was not known to be involved in criminal activities, police said, adding that there is no clear motive for his killing.

His sister, who lives in the US said she planned to surprise him later this month with another visit.

“He wanted to move, but felt a loyalty to stay there because he born and grew there and felt like why should I leave, this is home. Other family members would ask him to come out of Laventille but Laventille was home for him.”

She added that while she had been living in the US for 20 years, Laventille was still home for her. She recalled, as a child, boiling sweet potato with her grandmother in the yard of the family’s Laventille Road home and sharing it with children in the neighbourhood at all hours of the night. That community spirit, she said, is what her brother clung to.

“Marvin was always my protector, I felt safe around Marvin. Marvin will go to work and come back and just be me and him and he will bring back food. He taught me how to cook because it was just me and him for a while.”

She said she last saw her brother three weeks ago during her visit and recalled them dancing together and taking photos.

“Laventille is a beautiful place. We have one of the best views over Port of Spain. It is accessible to everything. It is a nice place to live, it’s just that now that it have different little gangs, it changed what Laventille was about. It is time we change the stigma of Laventille. The change starts with us,” she said, adding that not only Laventille but the country must unite against gang violence.