The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE mother of trainee correctional officer Ashantio “Clevorn” Johnson kissed her son’s face in his casket as he was laid to rest during an emotional funeral service on Friday.

Grief poured through the sanctuary as relatives, friends, and colleagues gathered to honour the 23-year-old from Eleuthera, who was remembered for his warmth, manners, and humility. He was fatally stabbed last month, and two squad-mates were injured, during a violent altercation at Blu Ice Restaurant & Bar just months after his proud father cried tears of joy watching him graduate from the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services training programme,

The church was filled with fellow correctional officers in uniform and mourners dressed in green and gold. Ahead of the service, video tributes played with photos of Johnson, including one in which a relative recalled their lifelong closeness.

“We graduated high school together. We went to church together,” one relative said. “We had our first big girl-big boy jobs together. That was my boy. He wasn’t just my cousin. He was my brother, and he always made everyone around, especially the females, feel safe. We experience unconditional love from a male, and not many females can say that nowadays.”

Leading the procession was his mother, dressed head-to-toe in gold. She approached the casket calmly at first, then broke down, crying out “Clevorn” and calling on God. She walked to her seat trying to keep her composure.

“Look at my baby,” the mother said, walking down the church aisle. “Oh Clevorn, why do this to mummy? Oh Jesus. My heart, I can’t take it”.

At one point, she returned to the casket, weeping, and attempted to close it. Several relatives were inconsolable and had to be helped to their seats.

Former Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson gave a Bible reading, and tributes poured in from friends and fellow officers.

Chief Corrections Officer Zhavonne Mackey, who oversaw Johnson’s medical and training process in 2024, delivered one of the most affecting reflections. He described how the recruit gravitated toward him, calling him “Paps”.

“As the months went by, training intensified. Ashantio Johnson gravitated toward me,” he said. “Our spirits connected. That’s when he started calling me ‘Paps,’ and I called him ‘son.’”

Mr Mackey said Johnson never raised his voice, even when corrected. “He would just smile” and say, ‘Paps, you had a good day today,’” he recalled.

He remembered rushing to Princess Margaret Hospital after learning Johnson had been stabbed.

“Just seeing him lying there,” he said, “I felt pain, grief, anger but I heard his voice saying ‘Paps, hold your head’. I remembered I had his family up there I had to console and be strong.”

He urged Johnson’s fellow trainees to honour his temperament.

“I say to his squad mates left behind, remember his still voice,” he said. “Remember his calmness. He would not want you to take revenge. Johnson was a calm-spirited person, so just remember that.

“God does not make mistakes. It hurts now, but he does not make mistakes. Johnson, my son, as you dance in heaven as you love to do, your Paps loves you.”

Prison Commissioner Doan Clear said Johnson had begun building his legacy early, volunteering to go on the battlefield. He recalled recruitment efforts in Eleuthera, where Johnson was one of only two recruits found at the time.

Classmates from North Eleuthera High School’s Class of 2020 recalled him as unforgettable — full of humour, joy, and energy.

At the graveside, the grief deepened. One mourner’s voice broke: “This is rough. Y’all don’t know what I’m feeling. This my child.”

Several mourners knelt by the casket, some hyperventilating as Johnson’s body was lowered into the ground.

Last month, a man was remanded to prison in connection with Johnson’s death. Police allege that Michael Petty, 21, fatally stabbed Johnson around 2am on November 5 on Baillou Hill North. Petty is also accused of attempting to kill two of Johnson’s squad mates, Perry Butler and Gregory Bullard, who were reportedly injured during the same incident.