We're only halfway through the month, but this morning, December saw its fourth murder. The victim this time was still a teenager, and a father of one. 19-year-old Leslie Young was gunned down on Newtown Barracks, and reports say he was just outside of a club. However, his family is suspicious, because they know he doesn't usually go out at night and by himself. Today we spoke with them and Courtney Menzies has this story.
A little girl will have to grow up without her father after he was ruthlessly killed just after midnight. The 19-year-old father, Leslie Young, was walking away from DK Lounge on Newtown Barracks when he was shot. Young attempted to escape and hopped the fence of the Mexican Cultural Institute, where he succumbed to his injuries.
And for Young's close knit family, his death has taken what was supposed to be a month of celebration and filled it with grief.
His cousin told us that the shock set it the minute she got the dreaded phone call.
Voice of: Danisha Santos, Cousin of Deceased
"After that I just broke down into tears and then I started to call my mom and started to get to my family. We reached the hospital and then I confirmed that it was him in that pan with so much gunshot wounds to his body."
"We were very close, actually anybody, all of our family, my granny has eight daughters and all of grew up together, they have two set of family yards and everyday it's either behind Lacroix or Conch Shell Bay all of us will be. So that family was very close, everybody's close."
"Just last year February we buried his youngest brother, in November, his mom passed, last year, we buried his mom, and now in December, one year and one month after his mom went, we're burying him. My granny's birthday is next week and we were just coming together as a family and saying that we will print shirts to celebrate my granny, she's alive, she's not dead, we were just going to print shirts as a family to take our photoshoots and celebrate my granny but instead of printing a shirt to celebrate my granny's birthday and celebrate with she, we have to be here printing a shirt with his face on it and have to be planning a funeral. What a way for us to celebrate Christmas and New Year's."
And his release from prison last month came just in time for him to spend the holidays with his family. Santos explained that they know Young had a past, but that he was trying to change for the better - which is why they were confused to hear he'd been outside of a club so late.
Voice of: Danisha Santos, Cousin of Deceased
"All of us have our past. We won't come here and act like Leslie was a saint but he was changing his life, he was starting to go to sea, we have clips to prove that he was going to sea, he was changing his life, he has his 1 year old daughter, he's taking care of his daughter and you know the saying that says when you try to change your life and come out of the gang life, it's then they really go to you, and this is just the day that was bad lucked and unfortunate."
"Still, information that we've been trying to gather, why Leslie was out? That's why when I got the news, I was like, no, not him, what is he doing out so late? By himself? At DK's? The maths noh dih maths. It's totally not adding up. And I'm begging anybody that has information out there, come to the family and we get closure. Because yes Leslie isn't a saint but we have heart, we just buried his mom and we just buried his brother and out of the family of two brothers and two sisters and his mom, the mom and the two brothers are gone so now only his two sisters."
And while they try to put the pieces together, Santos recalled one of the last memories she has of her cousin - who was more like a brother to her.
Voice of: Danisha Santos, Cousin of Deceased
"I was behind my granny three weeks ago and we were having a family time and playing cards and he rode into the yard, when he rode my back was turned to him. And he went to each and everybody in that yard, he hugged them and he came to me and hugged me. He was just a vibrant person and when he's around, it's no negative energy, he will clown himself, we will laugh and talk, he will show himself… he's just a loving person. Everybody has two sides of them, their bad side that you don't want to get out, and their good side, but he's always, when he comes around, it's to share the love."
"Even when he was behind jail, he made sure that he's pushing out calls to check up on his daughter and right now, this Thursday, he just called his baby ma and told this baby ma that he bought the baby pampers and wipes, tomorrow, he was going to stop them off. But sadly, unfortunate, that he won't be the one to drop the pampers and the wipes off to the baby so now they left a one year old fatherless, no clue to get the vibrant personality of her dad, nothing, all she will have is just memories, hopefully that she remember when her dad would come around, that they used to have the most precious time together."
And now this little girl will only have photos and family stories to remember her father by.
Leslie had been working as a fisherman before he was killed.
