The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

TWO members of The Grove community yesterday called for more local support in reaching out to young males in the area following a recent shooting incident that left a man dead and three others in hospital.

Bishop Anthony Roker, pastor of Church of God of Prophecy on Second Street and Palm Tree Avenue in The Grove, along with area resident Sam Williams, called on residents in the community to “reach out more to one another” and “see what we can do” to curb crime in the community.

Bishop Roker said the most recent murder, which took place just across the street from his church, claimed the life of a man his church “reached out to” over its 14 years of outreach. He said his church would continue its quest to help young men stay out of trouble.

On Tuesday night, a man was shot dead and three others were wounded after two gunmen opened fire on a group of men standing on Second Street in The Grove.

According to Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander, the officer in charge of the Central Detective Unit (CDU), the shooting took place around 7.30pm, when a dark vehicle pulled up where the men were standing.

According to Chief Supt Fernander, two men got out of the vehicle and fired a number of shots, resulting in all four men being shot. One died on the scene and the three other victims were subsequently taken to hospital in a private vehicle.

“We reached out to this young man (the murder victim), we talked to him, he was never involved in any of the recent outreach programmes, but during the years, yes, we did reach out to him,” Bishop Roker told The Tribune yesterday.

“It really hit home, especially right in the community. Crime is something we all need as a community to reach out and to help in every which way. It’s unfortunate that the young man lost his life. And we just need as a church, and as a community, persons living in the community, we need to reach out more to one another, we need to continue to show that love and compassion to one another in the community.”

Bishop Roker said notwithstanding Tuesday’s shooting, his church will ramp up its ongoing community outreach efforts by establishing both a “big brother programme” as well as a “craftsmanship programme” to teach young men “whatever they want to do so their hands wouldn’t be idle.”

“Even though this murder happened, our objectives and our motives are to continue on with our outreach programme in spite of this particular incident, because we have a weekly outreach programme here at this local church, and we’ll reach out even more now because of the murder, by talking to the young men each day, Bible studies, Sunday school programmes,” he said.

“Our main objective is to help the young men in this community. We’ve been reaching out in this community for the past 14 years, we do afternoon classes and there are times that we look for jobs for the young men in the community, and our goal is to see every young man in this community detour from negativity and get into positive activities.”

Mr Williams, meanwhile, called on residents, particularly young men to allow Bishop Roker to “give them counselling and teach them that God is love.”

“Everybody in the community come out, let’s see if we can meet together, meet and see what we can do to help St Cecilia, because St Cecilia needs help,” he said. “I walk around to the business people in St Cecilia, they’re willing to give back, but we just need to sit around the table, get people to come out and see what we can do to help this area.”