THE Kingston Central police are appealing to the public for information to assist in their investigations into the brutal slaying of 13-year-old Roshane Smith.
Police said they were yesterday summoned to Eve Lane in Central Kingston where the body of 13-year-old Smith was found with his hands bound and what appeared to be gunshot wounds to his head.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Percival Anderson told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that the police had not yet established a motive for his killing.
”It is not one of those cases where you can associate him to a particular gang because he was only 13 years old. I understand that he was a troubled teen but no criminal involvement that we could say, yes, this is the reason,” Anderson explained.
Anderson said that Smith was last seen at his home by his parents while getting ready for school on Wednesday morning.
When the Observer visited the boy’s home a relative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, gave a different account. “Him never go a school; him say him uniform dirty. Him never go and from that we never see him,” the relative said.
Trying to hold back tears, the relative admitted that Smith was a troubled teen. “To be honest, him just hard of hearing, that’s all I have to say,” the relative continued, noting that Smith’s father went in search of him Wednesday evening after he realised that he was not at home.
The relative added that the family was alerted after a resident stumbled upon his body yesterday morning.
When the Observer visited Denham Town High School, where Smith was a second-form student, Principal Audrey Williams said she would not describe him as a troubled child. She said that he was well known to teachers because he would normally come to school without breakfast and lunch. The principal said he was always in need and even attempted to take food home with him at times.
Williams said he will be missed by his classmates and the school family.
Meanwhile, the education ministry said school administrators reported that Smith was last seen in school last week Thursday, January 19.
Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid, who yesterday expressed sadness at the loss of another young life, extended condolences to the boy’s immediate family and members of the school community, especially his classmates.
The ministry said a team of counsellors was dispatched to help the school family cope with this loss.
The minister, meanwhile, is scheduled to visit the school on Monday.
Omg tears he is so young!!! I’m convinced Father God is coming soon !!! Pink wallers I’m tryin my best to change and I im advising you all to do the same… We all need to prepare to meet Our Father may He have mercy on our souls
Too many AWFUL things going on and it’s not just in Jamaica. It makes me think we are in our last days.
May God bless his soul!
This is so they bastards are killing off the people in our wonderful country. They need to bring back hanging. If they want someone to do the job I will apply and will just flight to do it on the day off the hanging and come back home the next day.
So sad these monster killing off the people of our wonderful country. The government need to start back hanging and I will take the job. All would do is just flight down when they need me to preform my duties come back home when the day work is done.
So very sad. I believe that we can change the next generation, Mothers and fathers I am calling on you to start showing your children more love and to be more caring towards them, correct them at home, teach them right from wrong, teach them how to be patient and fair (don’t take what is not yours and don’t take more than you need) stop letting certain things slide, teach them self respect and respect for others, stop!!! beating them like slaves there are other means of punishment. If we all make an attempt at doing this we can eliminate some of these problems.
Very disturbing…the sudden death of the Mona student, the murder of this youngster, and the rape of children is very very disturbing. A change has to come.