Today’s broad morning murder came at the end of a weekend which witness three murders – two of them in the city. The first was on Friday night where a former police officer was gunned down for no apparent reason. Keith Swift tried to piece together the senseless murder of Clarence Leslie.
Keith SwiftReporting,
29 year old Clarence Leslie was killed execution style in front of BD’s Laundromat here on the Boulevard. He left his home on Mahogany Street to go and buy food for his girlfriend on Li Chee. But he never made it because on his way to Li Chee he was killed. His girlfriend Nicole Myers told us about their last conversation – which was minutes before he was murdered. She spoke off camera.
Voice of Nicole Myers, Girlfriend of Deceased
“I gave him $27 for him ton buy. He asked what will I eat and I said I would want a steak and so he said he will go to Li Chee and I will buy the steak for me and you to eat the night. He gaan and that dah it. I was waiting for him to come back and after eleven I told my cousin like this, I said he went too long and I know him, if he knows I am hungry he won’t take so long with my food.”
Samantha McFadzean, Sister of Deceased
“My brother was riding on Boulevard, he was going to buy and they
shot him and he passed away. My mom started to cry and say no not my son because my son doesn’t interfere with nobody, why did they shoot my son. I told them never, they didn’t shot my brother. I told them no, my brother is coming back here right now for a money from my mom. When we called the phone we didn’t get no response.”
And that is because Clarence was already dead. He had been shot in the face and died on the spot. His family doesn’t know of a motive. He is a former police officer, father of two, and by all accounts mild-mannered.
Samantha McFadzean,
“He was a cool person. He doesn’t interfere with nobody. He just hangs with his friends. One thing is that he liked to gamble, he liked to play cards, that is what he used to do. He got a job with one of my friends and he started to come back here everyday.”
Shellymae Young, Sister of Deceased
“He is not a bad man, he is not that type of person.”
Keith Swift,
Why did he leave the Police Department?
Shellymae Young,
“He had fits, he travelled with fits and they took him out of the force. He didn’t stop, he didn’t want to stop. They put him off medically unfit and that is why he just started to come around and he was ketch
and killing now and again and he got this job. I asked him, I told him I want you to help me chop off the grass…just a second, it is hard for me because we were just making plans to go to the back of my land to chop it and he was excited, everyday he wanted to know when would I be ready to go and chop the land and that is why I can’t believe that he is gone from us.”
Clarence had a new job and was awaiting a new baby – now all of that is gone and so is the 30 year old Clarence Leslie.
Shellymae Young,
“They took away him and he didn’t nobody anything. He was going to be a father, he left an unborn child.”
Samantha McFadzean,
“He had two sons, one dah Holy Redeemer and one just turned one year old in April, one year and three months, and then his girlfriend six and a half months pregnant. That is why he was starting to work because he wanted to work to help his girlfriend because he didn’t have a job and then she get pregnant so he had to try to get the job to try help she buy the things for the baby.”
Shellymae Young,
“He was a loving person, always joking so I don’t know why somebody would take his life but I’ll left it in God’s hands."
And that faith is perhaps the only thing that family has to cling onto in their time of grief.
Police have detained two suspects but no one has been charged.
