A murder that took place last night has police scrambling to pre-empt an outbreak in gang violence. But for the victim's family, they believe that he had no part in the war on the streets.
20-year-old Jaheim Fitzgibbon was gunned down around 7 last night. His father is also recovering from injuries he sustained. But which one of them was the target?
Fitzgibbon's grandmother believes he was innocently killed. Courtney Menzies spoke with her today and has this story.
20-year-old Jaheim Fitzgibbon was with his father last night off La Croix Boulevard when he was shot. He was helping to fix a van when the gunshots rang out and both he and his father were injured. But though his father was only grazed, Fitzgibbon died instantly.
His grandmother told us that she could not have expected to get the news last night. She says it was a tragic end to a joyful day.
Phyllis Rowland, Grandmother of Deceased
"My day was happy. I did my workout, I had the day off, I clean my house, did my laundry, played music. I don't know where this happiness came from, I was happy out of the world."
"My other grandson called me, Morris. He said, gran are you okay? I said yes, I'm okay how are you? He said, I'm good. He said, gran are you sure you're good? I should have known."
"He said, gran, they just shot up Jaheim. I said, Morris, don't run those kinds of jokes. He said, gran it's no joke, they shot up Jaheim and he died. And my phone, I just, I bawled."
"Every morning, everyday, every night, I ask God to protect my grandchildren, protect my whole family, wherever they are, protect them, keep them safe, and Jaheim got shot."
And Rowland said that Fitzgibbon debated whether he should have even left his home - and that fateful decision cost him his life.
Phyllis Rowland, Grandmother of Deceased
"Jaheim was at home playing his game and his father called and asked to come help him so he was deciding, should I go or should I not go? He told a young lady that is in the house, should I go? She told him, don't go if you don't want to. And he said, I'm going."
"He died with his mouth open and his eyes open, he did not see, he was standing in front of the vehicle, his back was turned, and they opened fire on him. When his father saw that, he ran after the man and they fired shots at him, according to what I understand."
Courtney Menzies:
"So you think in this case, somebody was targeting his dad and caught him?"
Phyllis Rowland, Grandmother of Deceased
"I think that's what happened because according to what I understand, his father had problems with some people. So they came with the intention of shooting him."
But they shot his son instead, and Rowland recalled the last time she saw him, one day last month when he visited her house.
Phyllis Rowland, Grandmother of Deceased
"A little while he stayed and he said, gran, I'm going. I said you're going already and he said, yes, I'm going. I said, okay Jaheim, take care of yourself, be safe, and I love you. He said, gran I love you too. I did not know that that would have been the last time I would have seen my eldest grandson."
"He might have his faults home but you know boy children when they're growing up, but he is very mannerly, he stays out of trouble, he knows how the streets are so he doesn't try to involve himself in trouble."
"He's jovial, he likes games, he likes music, when he's ready he goes to work, he used to work at Ready Call. He hangs out with his other brother on his father's side, or hangs out with his father, but most of the time, he is home, he's at home."
But last night he wasn't, and now his family is deeply grief-stricken, but his grandmother had some words for the gunman.
Phyllis Rowland, Grandmother of Deceased
"It is devastating. People go about taking loved ones lives like it's nothing. They don't know the pain that they inflict on this family. They don't know what they have done, they have taken away a precious jewel from us. But one thing I have to tell that shooter, may God bless him and bless him ten times over and his family. That's all I have to tell him because he thinks he got away down here but up there, he hasn't gotten away. He and God will have a confrontation. He's heartless and they should stop taking away people loved ones from them."
Two known gang-affiliated figures who were recently targeted in a shooting have been detained in connection with this murder.
Police have also put out bulletins for the detention of specific gang members who they believe could trigger a further escalation of violence.
