Murder No. 9

A Grazettes St Michael mother is crying her heart out as she mourns the tragic loss of a son.

As police carry out investigations into the circumstances which led to the death of 29-year-old Jabar Lashley who allegedly died at the hands of a teenager, his grieving mother Marcia Clarke told Barbados TODAY that while she would not publicly speak out about what she was told caused her son’s death, she would say that he should not have died senselessly.

Marcia Clarke says her heart is hurting as she mourns the loss of her son Jabar Lashley who died after he was stabbed.

“Jabar should not die like this. I don’t understand how he died like this. This is senseless,” Clarke lamented as she dealt with the pain of losing the last of her three boys.

Police public relations officer Sergeant Michael Blackman said that sometime around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Lashley was at Dore’s Sport Bar, at Gunsite Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael, where he was involved in an altercation with a juvenile. The young man was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by a private vehicle, where he died around 10:40 p.m., after undergoing surgery.

“The juvenile is currently assisting police with investigations,” Sergeant Blackman said.

An emotional Clarke, recounting her son’s last moments alive, said when she got to the hospital after she received the devastating news, doctors told her what no mother would ever want to hear.

“They told me that he only got a ten per cent chance of surviving,” Clarke recalled.

“But ten per cent ain’t no chance to live. You would talk about 50/50, but at ten per cent you could as well say he dead. When they told me ten, I say Jabar gone. Actually, he was just there like he passed already because he wasn’t breathing or nothing. So I just hold he hands and tell he that I love him,” she said.

The 53-year-old mother said she last saw the former Ellerslie Secondary student on Sunday when he came to her home for lunch and they had an enjoyable time chatting and laughing. At that same time, they made plans to attend Lashley’s eight-year-old son Xaier Mayers’ school’s sports which were held today.

“The sports was supposed to be today. Then I hear this thing happen. I don’t know how my son gone. I trying to be good, but my heart hurting me. He was too sweet to go down like that. He got a family. That little boy believes in Jabar. He likes Jabar so bad. He left a sweet eight-year-old boy. He liked jokes. When it comes to jokes you would get Jabar laughing. He would come and blow the car horn shouting ‘mom I here, mom I here’. He was a sweet boy,” the mother said.

Clarke said she spent most of the day waiting to hear Jabar blowing the horn signalling for her to get out the house for them to head to the school sports.

Meanwhile, Shakira Mayers, the mother of Lashley’s son and partner of 10 years, said she would be the first to admit that Lashley was not perfect, but he was a loving boyfriend and a caring father to their son and also her firstborn.

Speaking at her Bibby’s Lane, St Michael home where Lashley also lived, Mayers said she spoke to the man who told her he would marry her someday moments before he was stabbed.

“The last words he said to me was ‘be outside’ and I said whatever Jabar. I say just come. Then when I saw the time coming up I was rushing to get outside and then my friend called to ask me if I heard. I was like heard what? . . . I just left work. I didn’t know how I was getting to the hospital but I just left,” Mayers said.

“He had surgery. Then they took him to the recovery room and we went and we saw him, and he was still breathing, I believe with the machine,” the 30-year-old recalled.

Mayers said she has heard “so many stories” about the incident that she does not know what to believe.

“There are so many flip sides to this story, but I know one side got to be true,” an emotional Mayers said.

Lashley was also supposed to collect his son from at the barber where he dropped him off for a haircut, not too far away from where the incident took place.

“When he saw that his dad was taking long to come back for him he knew something was wrong. He was supposed to go back to him, and in that short space of time this happened. I didn’t even know where the children were. Jabar couldn’t talk to tell me where the child was. It was such a rough evening,” Mayers said.

“He and his son had a really good relationship, so I know he is hurting. But he is such a sweet son. He telling me ‘mummy you got to be strong. Don’t cry. Just be strong and remember the fun times that you and daddy had. We gine be alright’. But I know he is hurting. They born like a day apart,” the young woman said as she spoke about her Xaier who attended his sports today.

Barbados TODAY understands that the altercation came about after Lashley spoke to the alleged perpetrator about a matter which involved the breaking and entering of his vehicle.

Gunsite Road was quiet when Barbados TODAY visited just after midday. As Police carried out investigations, several residents said they were shocked about the incident which they believe should never have happened.

One resident who is familiar with the teenager said he has had a troubled upbringing and sometimes made decisions that caused him to have to face the juvenile system. (AH)