[UPDATED] Charlotte St murder victim's mother: They wanted him in their gang

THE mother of Mosi Ross ,who was shot dead on Charlotte Street on March 2, believes he was killed because he didn’t want to join a gang.

Police found Ross, 33, dead on the ground near East Side Plaza at around 9.50 pm on March 2 when they responded to reports of gunshots.

A TT Defence Force officer was shot in the leg during the incident and was taken to hospital.

Ross’ mother Annabella "Joy" Winn, speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre in St James on March 4, said the pressure of joining a gang is a problem facing many young men.

She said there were some who were not interested in that lifestyle and if they resisted that negative influence, they could end up paying with their lives

“I think is that why Mosi was shot and plenty other youths will be shot. Because they want them to do what the bosses or whoever want them to do.

"Some of them just want to live free. They want to go out with their girlfriend. They want to go in the park.”

She urged young men to think before pulling the trigger.

“Don't try to kill a man because allyuh want him to go in this gang and allyuh proving allyuh could do that.”

Winn called for youths of Trinidad and Tobago to end the ongoing gang wars.

“I want to beg Trinidad and Tobago, we boys, we children, let them done this thing. Done it. These Six and Nine and Seven and Ten (gangs), allyuh doing work that the police ain't even doing we children.”

She asked why someone would want to kill her son, and suggested although Ross may have committed crimes in the past, he was no longer involved in that lifestyle.

“What’s the sense (in) killing Mosi? What Mosi ever do?
"Everybody do their little thing. Allyuh take people thing and snatch their chain.
"But people pray against them things too, (because) I talk to Mosi and he stopped.”

Winn also referenced the videos circulating on social media in which Ross is heard speaking about a war with the police. She said that situation was dealt with, and Ross had made peace with the police and even defended them in subsequent videos.

“They won’t send that (video) where he didn’t want nobody to hit the police.”

Winn said she had suspected the wave of murders hitting Trinidad and Tobago would soon affect her but was comforted knowing she was not grieving alone.

“I really ain't feeling so hurt. Because there are lots of mothers and young people I seeing here (at Forensics) with the same problem that I have.
"I have five boy children, so I knew that someday it will come on my doorstep.”

Grieving mother begs killers to stop

The distraught mother held back her tears as she called for her son’s killer to change their ways and spare another family the same pain she felt.

“I’m sure that killer, he's supposed to know he shouldn't do a thing like that to Mosi or nobody else son. I’m letting you know that what you do there, Jah will take hold of you and your whole community and allyuh done of that for me, please. I’m begging allyuh with love.”

She even issued an invitation to the people responsible for her son’s death to attend his funeral.

“I hope that allyuh done away with that and allyuh could come. I'll be cremating him and allyuh could come and show all your condolences and show me the strength and the love.”

Winn, who said she is a UNC activist, pleaded with the public and the politicians to put their differences aside and work on fixing the crime situation.

“The government, I love allyuh, the opposition leader, I love allyuh. It’s no PNM or no UNC thing. It’s a love between TT. Let we get together and show everybody love.”

She chose to still see the good in TT, as she noted it was a country other people fled to in search of a better life, and said that should serve to motivate citizens to work together to address crime.

“Different people coming into our country and they're living better than us. It's time for we to unite.”

On January 1, 2024, Adundi "Stems" Telemaque was shot and killed and his mother Deborah Williams also alleged it was because he refused to join a neighbourhood gang.

Williams said the 41-year-old WASA labourer ,who lived in Belmont, had been shot twice before, in 2022 and 2023.

She said when he still refused to join the gang, they began to “tax” him.

“The latest thing was that he had to pay them $1,000 every time he got paid. He told them no. He was building a house, he had his 14-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter to take care of.”

Telemaque was the country's first murder victim for 2024. He was ambushed by three men around 7 am and shot in the head several times while throwing out the garbage after New Year’s Day celebrations at his home.

Police: Report gang pressure to us

Head of the police Homicide Division Snr Supt Rishi Singh urged anyone who felt pressured to join a gang to speak with the police in their area or any law-enforcement officer they feel they could trust.

He said that is the only way the police could ensure the perpetrators are targeted.

“(The police) would be able to identify those elements and target them to ensure that they are not equipped physically so we can put the pressure on them rather than them putting the pressure (on citizens).”

He said anyone in such a situation who felt uncomfortable filing an official report can also share the information informally.

“They can do that with any law-enforcement authority that they feel comfortable with, including myself, and those individuals would responsibly channel the information.”

“Not because you don't make the report it doesn't mean that you can’t pass the information, so that at least we will be able to intervene.”

This story was originally published with the title "Murder victim's mother: My son was killed for refusing to join gang" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

The mother of Mosi Ross, who was shot dead on Charlotte Street on March 2, believes he was killed because he didn’t want to join a gang.

Police found Ross dead on the ground near East Side Plaza around 9.50 pm on March 2 when they responded to reports of gunshots.

A Defence Force officer was shot in the leg during the incident and was taken to hospital.

Ross’s mother Joy Winn, speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre in St James on March 4, said being pressured to join a gang is a problem facing many young men.

“I think is that why Mosi was shot and plenty other youths will be shot. Because they want them to do what the bosses or whoever want them to do. But some of them just want to live free. They want to go out with their girlfriend. They want to go in the park.”

She urged young men to think before pulling the trigger.

"Don't try to kill a man because all you want him to go in this gang and you proving you could do that."

Winn called on youths to end the ongoing gang wars.

“I want to beg Trinidad and Tobago, we boys, we children, let them done this thing. Done it. This Six and Nine and Seven and Ten. You doing work that the police ent even doing we children.”