Classmate: Heartless person took you away

JOANNA WALKER’S dre-ams of playing and excelling in basketball ended with a single bullet from a heartless person, Shinelle Samaroo, her classmate, said yesterday as she delivered the eulogy at Walker’s funeral service held at Simpson’s Funeral Chapel, Eastern Main Road, Laventille.

“A single bullet ended it (her dreams). A heartless person came and took you away from us,” said Samaroo, who managed to hold back the tears during the eulogy, adding that Walker had played netball for her old school, St Barb’s Government. She continued that Walker, of Mentor Alley, Laventille, was known as the “tall girl” in the class (Form 1C at Mucurapo Junior Secondary School). Samaroo said Walker, 13, was not known to get involved in quarrels, was a person who never got angry and was not afraid to tell anyone when they were wrong. She also described Walker as a “big sister” to many children, some of whom lost their parents.  She said also that the deceased girl was a gift to her parents, Ancil Skinner and Marilyn Walker-Skinner, parents of six children, Joanna being the last.

After giving the eulogy, Samaroo walked slowly back to her seat where she sat and let the tears flow.  Before the eulogy, the young and petite girl was seen crying and wiping her tears with a blue rag. Another female student sang Celine Dion’s “Because You Love Me” after which about a dozen uniformed students from the Mucurapo Junior Secondary School formed a semi-circle around Walker’s baby pink coffin. Walker had stepped outside her home Monday night to get a breath of fresh air when she was caught in the line of fire of two men who were reportedly trying to gun down a Muslim man. Relatives told Sunday Newsday that Walker decided to go outside after she lost a game of All Fours.  She was playing the game with other siblings.  She was shot once and died at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

Walker was one of two people shot, the other being Adeola Graham, a 21-year-old hairdresser.  Graham’s friend, Giselle Bobb, 22, was grazed by a bullet. Police, on instructions from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson, have since charged a 22-year-old Laventille man with Walker’s murder, and the attempted murder of Graham, as well as firearm-related offences.  He was charged by Cpl Steve Sookdeo of the Besson Street CID. Walker’s death brought to 15 the number of teenagers killed for the year.  Of the 15, 12  have been shot while the other three were stabbed.  Seven people have been charged in the 15 killings thus far. Walker was laid to rest at the Tunapuna Public Cemetery.