The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE grieving mother of a 21-year-old man shot dead while on his way to buy a cellphone said she needs answers about why the gunman targeted her “innocent” son, saying the attacker could have grabbed any of his belongings instead of taking his life.

Vandashia Johnson, mother of Dario Butler, broke down in tears as she reflected on her son’s life in an interview with The Tribune over the weekend.

Butler was killed Friday night near a soccer field across from Columbus Primary school while heading to purchase a cellphone advertised online. He tried to escape by jumping over a wall after being shot but eventually collapsed on school grounds. The suspect fled in a blue Suzuki swift with an unknown licence plate heading north along Collins Avenue.

“I don’t mind if y’all did rob him and take the money and let my child go. Why my innocent son?,” Ms Johnson said. “Y’all take my son away from me.”

Describing the toll her son’s death has taken on her, the mother of six said she now eats little and suffers from sleepless nights.

Family members have been monitoring her stress levels and urging her to take her blood pressure medication, but she said she is struggling to cope with the heartbreak of her son's death.

Just hours before his killing, she said Butler called to say he wanted to borrow his brother’s car to meet someone near Columbus Primary to purchase an iPhone. When his brother arrived home, he lent him the car so he could retrieve the phone.

The family expected Butler to return home with the device in hand, never imagining the transaction would turn fatal.

Ms Johnson recalled one her children calling her after hearing there was a shooting near Columbus Primary School. Concerned because Butler had not returned home, they urged her to go to the scene to make sure he was okay.

When she arrived, Ms Johnson described her son and the car he was driving to police.

Moments later, her worst fears were confirmed: Butler had been fatally shot.

Officers said they found him unresponsive, suffering from a gunshot wound to the left side of his upper torso. They were alerted to the shooting by an anonymous caller. Police were told he was ambushed by an unknown man while on his way to meet the iPhone's seller.

Ms Johnson said it’s not unusual for her son to purchase items online, but that sellers would usually meet him at the family’s home.

She believes Butler may have known the seller, which could explain why he agreed to meet elsewhere.

Meanwhile, his sister thinks he was scared for his life on the night of the shooting.

The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, but the family say they want justice.

They described Butler, a security officer, as hardworking, loving, introverted, and non-problematic.

He spent most of his time either at home or at work and rarely went out.

His mother said they shared a bond like none other.

One of their final conversations before the shooting was about a planned Labour Day beach gathering with the family.

During the conversation, she and Butler laughed about what he planned to bring to the function.

Ms Johnson said she later realised she had unknowingly been “planning for my child’s funeral.”

Butler’s death has dealt another blow to the family.

His grandmother died on June 10 last year, on her birthday, and now her son was murdered just days before her birthday.

“This is very hurtful,” Ms Johnson cried.

Butler’s death marked the country’s 26th murder of the year, according to The Tribune’s records.  Police said investigations are continuing.