German artist murder suspect gunned down

RUSSELL Warner, the uncle of TT’s latest murder victim Sheldon John  (not 2005 Extempo Monarch) has sent out an urgent cry to all murders. “Youths, it is time to stop the killings; it is time to put down the guns and take up a bible or something. Too many young people are killing, and too many young people are being killed. “It is time young people focus their minds on something else.”

According to reports about 10pm on Saturday, John, 24, together with other friends and family, was standing in a yard on Thompson Lane, Carenage, a short distance from his home, when a car drove by and turned around at the end of the street. One passenger, armed and masked, came out, pointed a gun at the group and said “don’t move,. don’t run, stand up.’ The group did not heed the command. Instead they all fled. John was shot three times in his back befor he collapsed. The gunman walked up to him and fired three more shots to his head.

Police were called in and found  John’s body in a pool of blood. The District medical officer was contacted, he pronounced John dead and ordered his body removed to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy today. When Newsday visited the scene, relatives described John as a nice, quiet boy who kept to himself, and did everything alone. “He was a loner, but you know how boys are at that age; he sometimes did things.” The family, however, denied he was ever involved in any unlawful acti-vities. Annette John, the victim’s mother  described the last of her three children as a wonderful young man, who often made people laugh; was liked by everyone and kept to himself.

She also called for justice, but believed that she would receive none as the police would claim that the gunman’s face was masked. When contacted, police said the vitcim who had prior convictions and pending charges for shooting, possession of arms, ammunition and narcotics was a suspect in the January 18 murder of German artist Jurgen Keck at his Aquaview Terrace, Carenage, home. In a related matter, the family of  John and residents of the area are appealing to the relevant authorities, especially the police for counselling services for two girls 13 and 14 years who witnessed the shootings. Cpl Neville Adams of the Carenage Police is investigating.