Dad of 2 shot dead in taxi

MARLON SIMMONS, a 40-year-old father of two, was shot dead early yesterday morning while sitting in the front passenger seat of a taxi which was taking him to his Calvary Hill home in Morvant. He is the sixth person to be murdered between Thursday and yesterday and his murder is the 121st for the year. During the same period last year 116 persons were murdered. Simmons, a mason, had attended a party with two female friends at Pelican Extension on Saturday night, and was returning home when he was shot.

The shocked driver of the car drove the vehicle to the Morvant Police Station, where officers discovered that Simmons was dead from a single bullet to the head. Police investigators were told that around 2.30 am, Simmons and two female friends were sitting in the taxi, when a gunman with a bandanna pulled over his face, placed the gun into the car from the driver’s side, and fired one shot to the head of Simmons. The killer then fled the scene. Yesterday, police investigators could find no motive for the killing, but relatives of the dead man claimed that the murder could be linked to an altercation which Simmons had recently. They said that Simmons recently struck a man with a piece of wood and they are linking that incident to his murder. At Calvary Hill yesterday, Cindy Prince, the common-law wife of the murder victim, was still in a state of shock over the killing.

She said that she begged Simmons not to go to the party on Saturday, but he insisted on going. She said that her husband never troubled anyone and was not involved in any illicit activities. Prince said that Simmons was looking forward to the birth of their child and even had plans to renovate his home. She also described him as a person who was always willing to assist anyone. According to Prince, Simmons was respected and loved by those who knew him. She is calling on the police to bring the killer who snatched away the father of her unborn child to justice. Louisa Simmons, the mother of the dead man, spoke endlessly on the phone relaying the news of the death to relatives. She said that the last time that she saw her son alive was around 10 pm on Saturday. She was not aware that he was going to a party.

Simmons said she is almost sure that her son’s murder is a direct result of a recent confrontation he had with a man he knew. Simmons said that she was told the shocking news of the death early yesterday and was hoping that it was all a bad dream. The mother of six said that Simmons was a good son and did not deserve to be killed in such a violent manner. An autopsy will be carried out today on the body of Simmons at the Forensic Science Centre. Homicide officers yesterday expressed concern over the disregard for human lives. Officers feel that they are losing the war against crime, especially murders, since almost all the criminals are in possession of sophisticated guns.