[UPDATED] Father calls for public support in solving son's murder

Terrence Sogren, the father of 27-year-old Jamal Sogren who was shot dead near his home on Neighbourhood Drive, off Cizan Trace, Blue Basin, Diego Martin on Saturday night, is calling for any possible witnesses to speak up.

"That is the only way all this killing will stop," he said, speaking to Newsday on the phone. "People have to start coming out and letting the police know what is going on. We can't continue living in fear."

Police said first responders got a report of gunshots being heard in the Blue Basin area at about 9.20 pm. When they responded they were directed to Neighbourhood Drive, off Cizan Trace. There they found Sogren’s body.

He was dressed in a pink t-shirt with a blue three-quarter jeans. He also had a gold watch on his left wrist, but he was barefoot.

Investigators processed the scene and recovered 15 spent 9mm shell casings and four 40 calibre shell casings. Sogren’s body was taken by Simpsons Memorial Ltd for preservation pending a post mortem at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

Sogren said his son was heading to his grandmother's house where he and a couple friends were planning to lime.

While no motive for the murder was yet established by investigators, Sogren believes jealousy was the motive. He said he warned his son that the area was dangerous and pleaded for him to come out of the area and back home to Cicada drive, which was a short distance away from where he lived, but much safer.

"A lot of people getting killed on that side. Up in that place, there is envy and jealousy, because a lot of the youths up there are not working. I asked him please, come out of there and come back home. There was enough room here, but he wouldn't listen."

Sogren described Jamal as his last of four children, as a bright and ambitious young man. He worked as a groundsman at the Police Barracks.

"Just like some youths, he was a little ignorant and he would smoke a little weed, but he wasn't involved in any criminal activity," he said. "He was about working."

Sogren said the last time he and Jamal spoke was on Saturday afternoon. Jamal told him that he was looking for work on the weekends, because he needed a new car and he had traffic tickets to pay off.

"He called me around lunch time and asked for a drop down the road, so I took him," he said. "The only thing I didn't do was pick him back up. But the last thing on my mind to expect was to get a call to hear my son is dead."

Asked whether he believed that witnesses would come forward, he said he wasn't sure whether anyone would speak to police but he believed talk would circulate on the streets.

"This murder could be solved, but people have to talk," he said.

This story was originally published with the title "Diego Martin man murdered" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A 27-year-old man is dead after he was shot in Blue Basin on Saturday night.

He has been identified as Jamal Sogren of Neighbourhood drive, Blue Basin Road, Diego Martin.

Police said the first responders got a report of gunshots being heard at Blue Basin at about 9.20 pm.

When they responded, they were directed to Neighbourhood Drive, off Cizan Trace. There they found Sogren’s body.

He was dressed in a pink t-shirt with a blue ¾ jeans. He also had a gold watch on his left wrist, but he was barefoot.

Investigators processed the scene and recovered 15 spent 9mm shell casings and four 40 calibre shell casings. Sogren’s body was taken by Simpsons Memorial Ltd for preservation pending a post mortem at the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

No motive for the murder has been established.