Horticulturalist Boyo Ramsaroop, who occasionally employed the man police shot and killed on Russell Street last Saturday, said yesterday that he watched him grow from a toddler into an ambitious young man and never saw anything criminal in his behaviour.
Reeling from shock at police reports that an armed Kevin Dillon opened fire at a police mobile patrol before he was fatally wounded, Ramsaroop said, “this is not the Kevin I know. The little boy who was so mannerly, such a hard worker and had such a promising future. But honestly, I cannot account for every hour of his life.”
Dillon’s mother, Sheila Solomon, has since disputed the police’s account of how her son died. She said she was told he was walking along the road when he was shot. The police have said that he exited a vehicle, opened fire and was hit when they returned fire. They said an unlicensed .38 revolver with one spent shell and two live rounds were recovered from him.
The police have also implicated Dillon in the robbery at Toolsie Persaud Limited, Lombard Street on Saturday last and the armed robbery of a businessman recently at Middleton Street, Campbellville. The police on Monday said that one of the victims had identified both Dillon and another person arrested as the perpetrators of the robbery.
Up to yesterday, the man who was with Dillon and who the police have identified as a known character from North Sophia was still in custody.
Ramsaroop said the news was disturbing but at the same time raises questions about the future of young unemployed men in the country. He noted that crime was not a way out of problems but asked how many young, uneducated men knew this, adding that it was up to the administration to address problems from the root causes.
Recalling when he first met Dillon, Ramsaroop said the young boy moved into Plum Park, Sophia with his mother, who struggled to keep him fed and out of trouble by operating a little ‘sweets’ stand. Within recent years, the family found it hard to cope but even then, Dillon managed to avoid brushes with the law, according to Ramsaroop.
Feeling obligated to give back to Sophia where he got his start in horticulture Ramsaroop related how he got a few young men including Dillon to help him from March last year. Of the lot Dillon quickly grasped horticulture and was knowledgeable on the subject within a short period of time. This, he said, was reflective of the young man Dillon was – sharp, eager to learn and industrious.
Ramsaroop said Dillon worked with him for GuyExpo and had given a commitment to be part of a current project he is doing at Kingston. He noted that his initial Plum Park project was meant to keep the Sophia youths out of trouble, and at least for a year Dillon stuck to it.
He added that his goal was to take the project beyond Sophia and to other troubled areas such as Buxton and Agricola. Additionally, it would be spread out to areas across the country where there are vulnerable youths.
He is of the opinion that more time and money needs to be injected into vulnerable communities particularly Buxton.
Ramsaroop said the young men being raised in the village need an alternative, adding that he is prepared to go into the besieged East Coast Community and work with the young men.
“This thing has nothing to do with race or politics. It is about rescuing these young men and showing them that they can do something positive. For how long will we see them being arrested and placed before the courts for various crimes or being brought down at the hands of the law?” he asked.
Ramsaroop said he supported the call made by Father Malcolm Rodrigues to start a dialogue with those who are troubled and acting out because of their problems. He said it was time to talk with the people and offer them real solutions. (Iana Seales)
