He was too harden

This from Stacy Roberts yesterday as she reacted to the death of her son Jamal Matthias, 17, who was one of two persons shot dead by police during an anti-crime exercise at Ramkissoon Trace in San Juan on Monday night. Sharmatee Mongroo, mother of the other victim - Kerron Mongroo, 23 - yesterday claimed her son was unarmed when he was killed by police.

“All I want to do right now is bury my son,” Roberts said. “I cannot even call for justice, because what would I get? My son is already dead,” she added. The anti-crime exercise was conducted at Ramkissoon Trace, Santa Cruz Old Road in San Juan at about 9.30 pm.

After police locked down the area (cordoned off and guarded all entry and exit points), officers were attacked by gunmen and returned fire. When the smoke cleared, Mongroo and Matthias were on the ground bleeding from gunshot wounds. They died while en route to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EW MSC) in Mt Hope. Police sources said they recovered firearms at the scene.

Roberts told reporters yesterday that hours after her son left home, she heard of the shooting incident. Admitting that he was a hardened child, Roberts said her son did not deserve to die like this. “He attended a school in Woodbrook, but at that time, he was most hardened,” said Roberts.

“So I took him out to learn a trade. He used to do all kinds of things. He would do mechanics and he liked to work on cars.

I would always tell him about the friends he kept. He had gotten in trouble recently with a different set of children, but he still wouldn’t listen.” Sharmatee Mongroo, mother of 23-year-old Kerron Mongroo, yesterday claimed that he was among friends playing cards when police ambushed them. She was told by neighbours that they heard her son begging for his life, just before he was shot.

“Neighbours told me that the police came with masks on their faces and they had a road block down the road. They came charging at them with their guns in hand. What did they expect them (the card players) to do? This is not right. I need justice for my son,” Mongroo said.

She added that her son was very careful not to get into any trouble with the law after he was held on “trumped up” gun charges in 2015. He did not have any further charges and was not wanted in connection with any other matters, according Mongroo.

“Even if they came looking for someone, why shoot my son? they could have done something else instead of shooting him.

They could have handcuffed him...arrested him, because I know he did not have anything on him,” said the mother of five.

Autopsies are expected to be conducted on Mongroo and Matthias today at the Forensic Science Centre in St James. Investigations