Prolific goalscorer Rafiek Thomas killed in his bed

On Monday evening, popular footballer Rafiek Thomas was in a jubilant mood as he savoured the taste of Boys' Town Football Club's win over the Jamaica Defence Force in the KSAFA Super League finals the previous day.

Shortly after the game, Thomas, a talented forward and his mother, Lucinda Dunkley, shared a home-cooked meal of rice and peas and ackee. It turned out to be their last.

The 39-year-old was gunned down at his home on Water Street in Denham Town early yesterday morning. Another man was shot and seriously injured in the attack. According to a report from the West Kingston police, explosions were heard coming from a premises on Water Street about 4:40 a.m. and the police were alerted. Upon the lawmen's arrival, an injured man was discovered on the lower level of the house while the body of the footballer was found laying in his bed with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The injured man was taken to hospital and Thomas' body removed to the morgue for post-mortem.

In the aftermath of the gun attack, shock, anger and grief swirled in the air near the late footballer's residence. Dunkley was overcome with emotions. She held on to her stomach and wailed.

"Mi want mi baby, unno call him fi mi and tell him that mi want to talk to him. Mi want to see mi son," she wailed. "Jesus Christ, dem take away mi pickney from mi. God Almighty, mi want mi pickney!"

Thomas' sister, Peter-Gay, said she immediately began to pray after she heard that her brother's house was attacked. The last thing she expected to hear was that someone was hurt.

"The gunmen got in the house through the window. The one that got injured was fighting out his way and it seem the reason he is not dead is that he pretend that he was dead. You can see how everything turn over downstairs. But upstairs where mi brother room was, you can see say no fighting nuh gwan. He was killed in his bed. It look like he felt when he got shot and he was feeling pain. Yuh know like when you stuff something in yuh mouth a try fight it, that's how the pillow had on a lot of blood," she said.

Peta-Gay said her older brother was not involved in any wrongdoings and was just a victim of the system.

"M brother was soft-spoken and the only time him keep up long conversation was when it was about football. To me, he was just a victim of the flare-up of violence in the space but it was deliberate. It was intentional, so now I am thinking that if a never inna him house, him coulda come from work and dem kill him. Mi brother worked at Petrojam and on weekends him would jerk chicken, but his entire life was about football. Him hang up him boots a bit because him a get up inna age, but football was him passion," she said.

"Rafiek nah fight war and him nuh deh pon corner and him just dead suh. We nuh have anybody in our family weh a fight war or mix up, so we want to know where this is coming from," she added.

Thomas , a prolific goalscorer, played in the nation's top flight football league for Boys' Town, Waterhouse, Tivoli Gardens and Harbour View football clubs.