Family members of a Steer Town youth, shot dead while he sat on a chair at his place of work just after midnight Friday, May 8, are insisting he was not a member of any gang and was just a hard working youth.
Dead is 23-year-old David Nevers of Hollywood, Steer Town. Nevers had come from Clarendon to live in the area more than a year ago.
His mother says the family has been hurt by what was taken to be a reprisal murder in the volatile community. Ann Nevers says David Nevers was in no gang and was just a poor youth doing his best to get his life together and help out his family including her and his siblings who all once lived in Clarendon and came to restart their lives in Steer Town.
Nevers was sitting on a chair in a cook shop where he worked when he was shot dead by a man who walked up to him with a gun and opened fire. Reports are that he had on ear phones and was listening to music, after his shift had ended, when he was shot.
Police reports are that Nevers was sitting on a chair in a shop ‘A Yah Suh Nice” in the community when a man approached him pulled a fire arm and shot him several times, in the face and head. Some reports say the gunman was seen with three other armed men shortly before the shooting.
His mother and sister, Katherine Nevers who both visited The Times said they want their son who was innocent to go to his grave with his good name. Ms Nevers said David, who had given himself the name Splinter X, was a great lover of music and had started producing his own CDs, hoping for a breakthrough in the industry. She said he was peaceful, loving and hard working and had been doing the cook shop job while waiting to start two weeks training as a security guard. “Why they didn’t allow him to train for the two weeks?” She asked, shaking her head. “He is innocent.” During the interview, she repeated the theme WHY…WHY?
“Why dem kill him? I don’t know why.”
She said he was the only son, among the five children she bore. “Dem tek mi only son from mi,” she said. He was the eldest.
Nevers’ sister, Katherine said her brother had been in touch with her the very night he was shot and killed. She was not at home but elsewhere in the community when she heard gunshots and her sister later told her their brother was dead. She swore that he was not involved and that for him it was from home to work. “He was so jovial, always making us laugh. He will be missed,” she said.
She said earlier this year, Nevers had been working in Pineapple, Ocho Rios but lost the job after the business closed down. He was on the brink of employment when he was killed.
The Edwin Allen High graduate had only recently gone to look about his school records, police record and got JP recommendations to qualify to train as a security guard.
Ms Nevers said her son was planning to get baptized at the New Testament Church of God and had only recently asked her to go down on her knees and ask God to take over her life.
She said the loss was especially hard because she has lost from her household one of her daughters who went missing five years ago and hasn’t been heard of since.
