A man, who was shot in a home invasion in the New Hope community, close to Parry Town in St Ann and later died at hospital on Wednesday night, November 16, had intentions to get baptized.
Dead is 27-year-old Maurice Gaye, alias ‘Eggy’, a hotel bartender of New Hope, Parry Town in St Ann.
Gaye’s uncle, Nigel Royes, also called ‘Puggy’ said he knew his nephew as an honest youth and he did not believe Gaye had any dispute with anyone.
“Even that night (last Wednesday) he (Maurice Gaye) was at church with me,” Royes explained in an interview with the North Coast Times last Saturday.
Royes added that at that crusade held at the Blood Bath Church of God in New Hope on the night of his nephew’s death, Gaye had placed his name on a list to get saved and be baptized.
“He (Gaye) was a loving person. He was always laughing and like music. He was always on his phone and him don’t trouble people,” Royes pointed out, while adding that the family buried another family member recently, who was also shot and killed in the area.
He also added that residents of the New Hope community have now become traumatized since the killing.
GOT HOME FROM CRUSADE
Royes explained that the incident happened approximately two hours after Gaye had left the crusade and gone home. He lived with other relatives at the house.
Reports from the information arm of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) are that at about 11:50 p.m., armed men kicked opened the door of Gaye’s house. They opened fire at him and he was shot several times.
The report further stated that the police were alerted and he was found with multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at hospital.
Gaye’s uncle, Nigel Royes gave his account of the incident that his cousin and another relative at the house went to bed that night.
He said that they later heard someone trying to open the door, but Gaye and the other relative thought that it was another relative that lived at the house, who was entering.
However, the door was then kicked opened by a man.
He explained that the relative ran inside the bathroom, when it was realized that it was gunmen who had entered the house.
“Him (Maurice Gaye) tried to run to the bathroom too, but it look like a so dem get to shot him in his back,” Royes explained, while adding that he heard that Gaye was shot three times.
The gunmen later made their escape in the bushes in the community.
Royes further explained that the police were contacted and Gaye was taken to the hospital. Gaye had internal bleeding caused by the bullet wounds and later succumbed to his wounds.
The police are continuing with their investigations into the matter.
TRAUMATIZED
Royes explained that the incident has left his family and community members traumatized.
Royes said that Gaye’s mother is also not taking the loss of her son easy. “Family members have to round her. She keep on a say she want back her son. She think it’s sleep he is sleeping,” he said.
He also pointed out that residents in the community are now afraid and have begun to move out of the area.
“People move out from the community already and people a leave from Friday… If mi did have somewhere to go… I would gone,” Royes said.
Royes said that the family only recently buried a relative who was shot and killed in the New Hope area in early September.
His cousin, Peralto McKenzie, was on his way home from work when he was shot and killed by gunmen. Royes said that no one has been arrested for that murder.
