Mother loses third son to gun violence

A St Andrew South mother, Annette Lodge, was plunged into mourning on Sunday following the killing of another of her sons, Sheldon Williams, at the hands of gunmen.

He was killed right after playing a game of football on Rhoden Crescent along Olympic Gardens. Another man Oshane Ashley was also killed in the attack.

Speaking with THE STAR news team yesterday, Lodge, a mother of eight, admitted that Sheldon was the third son she had lost to gun violence.

“Him normally raise him animal dem and have a little bar. A regular summen fi him go play ball a Sunday evening. A three son mi have dead now, dem shoot dem,” she bluntly said.

Lodge was at home on McKinley Crescent near to Rhoden Crescent when she heard the explosions and immediately ran in the direction from which the shots were fired. Shortly afterwards she was informed that her son had been shot, but had no idea that he had succumbed to his injuries.

According to police reports, residents heard explosions sometime before 8 o’clock and the police were summoned. The two men were found suffering from gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at hospital.

A resident of Rhoden Crescent said it appeared that the men were targeted as the gunmen waited patiently in a car until the football game ended, before launching their attack.

Sitting on a bench outside their gate, members of Ashley’s family shared a string of positive memories about the late security guard. His sister, Peta-Gay Nelson, described him as a jovial individual who was very fond of women.

“Anyway him deh people have to laugh and mi just can’t point out anything bad about him. Him is a youth who take care of his three pickney dem,” Nelson said.