Teen gunned down after playing football

With a sombre expression glued to his face, an eight-year-old boy huddled closely to an older relative as he expressed his fear of venturing outside of his community of Tivoli Gardens.

Over the past two years , the youngster has lost two of his cousins and a neighbour to gun violence; all three victims were teenagers.

"Mi feel bad and mi cry a lot. Sometimes mi feel afraid. Mi cry. All inna mi sleep mi a dream about the killing dem and mi can't forget dem. Mi uncle dead four years now and mi can't forget him," he said. The youngster was among a group who were grieving the loss of their loved one - 17-year-old Tivoli High School student Jermaine McKenzie.

McKenzie, who also lived in Tivoli Gardens, met his demise on Monday night in Denham Town, shortly after playing a game of football. According to the West Kingston police, about 9:30 p.m., residents heard explosions along Blount Street in Denham Town. Upon the lawmen's arrival, McKenzie was found lying in a pool of blood. He was transported to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The teenager's mother Joanna Williams was a picture of grief. She barely spoke a word to the news team but her pain was evident. During the interview, she sought comfort from her mother, Janet Powell, by sitting in her lap and resting her head on her bosom. Williams said she had told her son not to leave the yard but he did not listen.

"Mi just have a bad feeling say sumpn gonna go wrong and mi tell him don't move," she said. Powell's eyes welled up with tears as she recalled hearing how her grandson pleaded for his life as the bullets were being pumped into his body.

"Him keep on a bawl out say him is a footballer. Him wet up himself the way him did afraid and never want to die and dem still kill him. Him was just a little boy. Him have a speech problem suh him couldn't talk too good," Powell said between tears.

She said she is yet to get over the death of another grandson, Narando Boothe. The 16-year-old was fatally shot by the police in the vicinity of the Water Lane bus park in August 2022.

Dozens of persons have lost their lives in an ongoing feud between Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens. Despite the gang feud, McKenzie would often travel to Denham Town to visit family members and friends. His aunt Anisha Dean said it never once crossed their minds that he would meet his demise there.

"Him just done play a football league and go Denham Town go play a next game. Him always go Denham Town because him have school friends and family there. Him wasn't a troublemaker. Him just love him ball game. All him little friend dem that live in Denham Town a cry hard. A long time this war a gwan and a lot of innocent people dead. A lot of youths dead as well. We see children from the other side come down here on a daily basis but we nuh hurt them," she said.