Ian John’s relatives never liked the woman from Cunupia he had been seeing. So when John, 23, a lorryman, was killed as he left her home, the family felt a grim sense of vindication. There is no suggestion or evidence that the woman was culpable in his death, but his family’s emotions are running high. Police say that around 6.45 am, John, alias “Monsta,” of Chrissie Terrace, Enterprise, was leaving the Cunupia home of his girlfriend when a gunman shot him three times—twice in the abdomen and once in the head. He died at the scene.
His father, Norman John, said his religion taught him to forgive his son’s killers.
Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre yesterday, the elder John said his only son was taken from him by a gunman.
John, who had been fasting for 155 days said: “I forgive them, I will tell them to find Jesus before it’s too late. The Devil wants to put things in your way to test your faith. People think this is the life but this is not the life that we are living here. This is in preparation for what is to come. I serve a living God. Trial will come in your way to see where you will turn. But I serve a living God and God is good.”
Relatives said the woman and John were together for close to two years, and it was she who gave him the nickname “Monsta.”
His father described his son as a “good boy” and said the last time he spoke with his son was Wednesday morning at work.
“All children have their ups and downs but he was a good boy. Every day I tell him about this girl that he with, not saying anything about the girl, but this is the fifth guy or so that she was with that got killed. Is two children I have, he was the youngest and if you see me, you see him. I have no idea why people would want to kill him,” John said.
The number of homicides so far this year is 93, compared to 67 for the corresponding period last year.
Two “related” deaths
In an unrelated incident, police are continuing investigations into the discovery of a burnt body found at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) compound, along the Southern Main Road, Warrenville.
According to police reports, at around 8.45 am on Wednesday, two employees of WASA were working close to a water pump valve located on a dirt road off the Southern Main Road when they saw some remains in a smouldering pile of ash.
They were the remains were those of a human skeleton. Officers of the Cunupia Police Station were contacted and are continuing investigations.
In another incident believed to be related, Central police were working on a theory that 45-year-old mechanic Ronnie Lamkin was killed in retaliation for the murder of Ian John.
According to police reports, around 3.45 pm yesterday, Lamkin, also called “Otis Bobb”, was seated in his blue Nissan Almera outside the home of his children’s mother when a gunman approached and shot him. Police said the children were with their mother at the time, having just been dropped off at her Bhagaloo Street, Enterprise, Chaguanas home.
Police said as Lamkin sat waiting for his children to return the gunman approached and shot him before running off. Lamkin was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility where he was pronounced dead on arrival.