The parents of a 15-year-old boy in custody for the alleged murder of 55-year-old fisherman Asmat Mohamed Hussain of Dukestown, Corriverton, are appealing for their son to be given a second chance, saying the teenager never expected the confrontation to end in death.
The incident occurred last Wednesday in the vicinity of a supermarket at Dukestown and reportedly stemmed from a confrontation.
The teenager’s mother, 43-year-old Sherry Soloman, told Ignite News that her son said the confrontation began after Hussain allegedly pursued and verbally confronted a female friend who was walking with him and her younger brother.
“He told me that this man was drunk and this man was walking behind them. He was with a girl, he said it’s his friend and she little brother. And while they was walking out, the guy was cussing at he, and he was trying for hustle the little girl and something, and he trying to tell he ‘rest himself’ and whatever,” she said.
Sherry said her son initially walked away, but Hussain allegedly continued.
“He said he turn around and he walk up to the man and he ask the man, ‘what happened, what happened,’ and he walk away back. The man continue, he walked, turn back and walked back to the man and he chuck the man for let the man back off from what he was doing. The man turn go back to he and raise some bottle and lash he,” she claimed.
According to Sherry, her son then struck Hussain twice, not realising he may have been seriously injured when he fell.
“Then like he turn around back with the same speed and just dealt the man two cuff. And like when he fall like he hit his head but he didn’t know that the man hit his head because other people come and jump on he and start beating he. He say he wiggled out from that… someone he friend come and pull he out from it and he get up and he run,” she said.
Sherry said the seriousness of the situation only became apparent to her son later, when she was told at the hospital that Hussain was fighting for his life.
“He turn and he tell me, he said, ‘Mama, how, how the man could be fighting for his life? He just give the man two cuff. How he fighting for his life?’ ‘Mama, you’re lying,’ I told him no,” she said.
She said the teenager remained in disbelief even after police later informed the family that Hussain had died. Sherry said her son sustained only minor injuries during the altercation.
Sherry said the situation has been difficult for her family and that she is praying her son will eventually be able to return to school. He was expected to sit his CSEC examinations next year.
“I will pray that he come out so that he could finish his studies and just move on with his life from there and know that he did something where he wasn’t supposed to do. As a mother, I take full responsibility for what he do. But I still feel he’s small and I feel he should get a chance for, you know, of forgiveness. But you know where the law is concerned, they have to do what they have to do,” she said.
The teenager’s father, Hilton Soloman, also appealed for his son to be given another opportunity, saying his son never expected the confrontation to have such a devastating outcome.
“He’s a young child. He’s in school, and this is something he didn’t mean to do, you know. He didn’t expect for anything this to be turned out like this way, you know, so I’m very sorry. I’m very hurt,” he said.
Hilton said he is also deeply saddened by Hussain’s death and intends to express his sympathy to his family.
The teenager remains in police custody as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding Hussain’s death.
