(Jamaica Star) Diana Barrett raised her hands and muttered a small prayer as tears ran down her cheeks yesterday in front of her home in Cockburn Gardens, St Andrew.
Her prayers were an attempt to ease the pain of losing her son, Adrian ‘Chulups’ Champagnie, who was gunned down on Monday, metres away from her.
“God will help me and give me strength. You know what happened and you’re in charge,” she said. The distraught Barrett explained that at the time of the incident, she was accompanying her son and his friend to get a job.
“But me walk leave him because he was waiting on his friend. That’s why me walk leave him. I was a minute away and couldn’t help him. I was in front of him and me only hear when my friend that I was walking with say ‘Chulups’ get shot,” she said. “So me spin round and by time me fi reach to him, he already died. Me couldn’t believe, me a shake him and say wake up!” She added, “Oh God, if me did know we just wait until another time and the worst part is that me couldn’t even take him to put him in a car to go hospital.”
WALKING ALONG WOODPECKER AVENUE
According to the Hunt’s Bay police, about 9:15 a.m., Champagnie and a friend were walking along Woodpecker Avenue, when a motor car drove up and men armed with handguns alighted and opened fire hitting them. The police were summoned and both men were taken to hospital. Champagnie was pronounced dead and the other man admitted in stable condition.
“Me pressure gone sky high and doctor a say me have to relax or me will get a stroke but me can’t manage,” Barrett said. She told THE STAR that her son helpful and jovial.
“Him and everybody get along, just ask about him,” she said. “He was also a helpful person and him nuh have to know you to help. If him stand up and see an old lady a come with a bag and she can’t manage him take it and carry it. Him was not a violent person so that’s why so much people feel it. Me nuh wah know the cause of this.”
