Best friends laid to rest together

Reynold “Rah” Elie, 51, and Gerald “Tall Man” Gibson, 48, were gunned down by two masked men on August 18 along with lifelong friends Christopher Nelson, 52, and Willard Cantaro-Ravello, 31, as they played dominoes outside a neighbourhood parlour on Kernahan Trace, Chin Chin Road, Cunupia.

Ravello was buried at the Las Lomas Cemetery on Wednesday, and Nelson was cremated at Allen’s Funeral Home on Thursday.

The funeral service for Elie and Gibson, held at the Crematorium, St James, had to be cut short because of the disorder caused by the hundreds of mourners attending the service. Police stood at the doors of the chapel and near both caskets to control the crowd that became out of control at times.

A number of wailing women had to be carried out of the chapel, while others fainted in grief as they filed past the caskets of both men.

Before the service, Carlos Taylor, a grief-stricken friend of Elie, stood before the hearse in front of the building and loudly declared, “My prayer today is that those guys who killed these men be brought to justice.”

He told Newsday that Elie was like a father to him and he hoped that God would bring about swift justice for the murder of the four friends.

In his brief homily, Reverend Kendall Noel of Elijah Centre, St Joseph, said according to Proverbs 18, “Vengeance is in the hands of the Lord.” He said no one should take matters into their own hands seeking revenge.

Noel exhorted the families of both men to bring good out of an unfortunate incident by forging a closer relationship with God. “Now you need strength from God, so talk to Him and see yourself in Him,” he said.

Noel referred to Job in the Bible and reminded mourners that although Job lost all his worldly possessions and children in one day, he neither sinned nor cursed God. He said Job had maintained his respect and relationship with the Lord, and friends and family of the deceased men should use this as an example.

He added that Job was eventually rewarded by God for remaining faithful throughout his tragedy.

In the eulogy, Reynold Elie’s sister-in-law Erril Harper said Elie’s only crime was grieving for his deceased wife through playing dominoes with friends. She said Elie sought refuge in the game, which he played to keep his mind off his wife who passed away two months ago.

“One person is happy now, that is, his wife Yvonne, because now they are together,” she said.

Harper said although the Elie’s murder was an obstacle, mourners should leave the violent memory of his death behind and focus on becoming stronger individuals.

Gerald Gibson’s brother Victor Salazar Jr told Newsday the four men had paid the price for the eventual turnaround of the country to the days of old, when people could feel safe within their communities.

He said the promise made by Police Commissioner, Trevor Paul, to give the multiple-murder case top priority, was a measure of comfort to the respective families.

Salazar Jr added that the families were not interested seeking retribution for their loss, but rather the protection of community life.