Man's son learns of his murder on social media

THE son of Darren "Spooky" Douglas who was killed on April 6 at the corner of Piccadilly and Besson Street found out about his death on social media.

Douglas was killed at around 3 pm by gunmen with assault rifles metres away from the Besson Street police station.

Witnesses say the gunmen were dropped off by one car and picked up by another moments later after they killed Douglas in front of UCW Drag Brothers Mall.

The gunmen then drove off, passing the police station as they made their escape.

Initial police reports say the shooting was a reprisal for the killing of Beetham resident Shakeem Reid earlier on April 6.

Germaine Mitchell, the mother of Douglas’ son, told Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre in St James on April 8 her son is grieving.

She said she arrived home after the shooting to break the news to her son but he already knew.

“He was walking up and down and not talking to anybody. He found out before I even had a chance to talk to him about it.

“He eventually spoke to me and asked, ‘Mummy, my daddy dead in truth? I don’t believe my daddy dead. Tell me is not true!’ I told him, ‘Yes your father is dead,’ and that was it. He didn’t say anything else, he just cried afterwards.”

Mitchell said her son has been unable to sleep properly since his father’s death and has been having nightmares.

She said the crime situation is becoming unbearable as many innocent people are dying.

She urged young men to find legal ways of earning an income instead of resorting to a life of crime.

“Why (the criminals) don’t put down their guns and stop? It have plenty things to do. You could open a little business or do something for the children in the community. Everybody just want to pick up guns and show their badness.”

She said this is having an effect on children in these communities.

“That is where the children picking up their badness from. Then they going in school and doing one set of badness there too. I just want the crime and the shooting to stop.”