Runaway among ‘Clarendon six’ killed by security forces

Ishmael Green, 24, ran away from home in Mineral Heights, Clarendon, at age 18, and was said to be among 'bad company'.

For three years he detached himself from his family until his mother reunited with him and tried to set him on a better path.

But Green was one of the six men shot and killed during a police-military operation carried out in Buzzrock, Effortville, Clarendon, last Saturday.

A relative informed THE STAR that in 2018, Green's family arranged for him to work in The Bahamas, trying to keep him from bad influences and, hopefully, shape him into a better man.

But he returned to Jamaica secretly and distanced himself from the family again. The next time Green's family saw him was in a photo showing his body in the aftermath of Saturday's shooting.

Upset and shocked

"My family is so upset and shocked at the same time," the relative said. "For me to see my relative die with wanted man, I'm shocked. So we can't say he's innocent or guilty because he was with those kind of people and you must know the friend you hanging with." The relative said Green left home because of peer pressure and the fact that his mother was strict.

"The mother tried her very best with him because the family not rich, but they sent him to school and tried to give him a better life. Him graduate from Foga Road High and him go HEART go do a security course. So is not like him have any reason to go out the way," she said. Despite his stubbornness, the relative said the family is still saddened by his passing.

"He was a very quiet and helpful persons and always into his music," she said tearfully. "He is someone who always said he wanted to take his family out of the struggles and say him a go make them have a better life. When you sit and reason with him, a just pure positive reasoning. I just don't know what happened."