Botham Jean Foundation Director Allison Jean, who has experienced the pain of losing a son who was shot dead at his home in Texas by an off-duty officer claiming to mistake the young man’s apartment for hers, has expressed condolences to the mother of Saint Lucia’s latest homicide victim.
In the wee hours of Monday morning, Keston Delaire sustained multiple gunshot injuries at his home in Fond Assau, Babonneau and died at the scene.
A relative disclosed that assailants dressed in camouflage clothing banged on the door, declared they were police officers and ordered that the family open up.
Once inside, the assailants fatally shot Delaire, who was 29 years old.
Allison Jean’s son, Botham Jean, was 26 years old when, on the night of September 6, 2018, off-duty police officer Amber Guyger shot him dead while the unarmed young accountant sat in his living room eating ice cream.
Guyger, eventually jailed for ten years for murder, claimed she mistook Botham’s apartment for hers and believed he was a burglar.
The deceased’s family launched the Botham Jean Foundation to carry forward his legacy of philanthropy, supporting those who need it most.
In this regard, the foundation presented two scholarships to local students on Tuesday.
Following the presentation, Botham’s mother, Allison Jean, in an interview with reporters, expressed condolences to the mother of Babonneau homicide victim Keston Delaire.
“My heart goes out to the mother, Jean stated.
“I think this is heartbreaking for a mother to be able to see her son, no matter who that son was, what he was – I don’t know much about it. But for a mother to see her son gunned down, I think it is a terrible act. It is an act that we must denounce,” she stated.
Jean emphasised that while conflicts can occur, people must resolve them differently.
“But to kill him in the presence of his mother is the worst act that one can pursue, and that person will pay for what he has done,” she told reporters.
“Because when you lose a child, you feel it in your womb, far less to see that child being killed right before your eyes. I think this is terrible, I am denouncing it, and the whole of Saint Lucia needs to denounce it.”
When asked about strategies to reduce crime on the island, Jean highlighted the need for a comprehensive approach.
She noted that the Botham Jean Foundation plays its part by contributing to the youth, offering support, and providing essential resources.
“What we’re doing in the foundation is one attempt by reaching out to the younger ones, to those who are in need, to those who need counselling, food, supplies, [and] to those who need skills.”
Jean acknowledged that addressing crime requires collective effort and cannot be achieved by the foundation alone.
As a result, she urged the community to engage in crime prevention actively.
“We have to look in our communities and try to reach out to some of these young men and women who we see are idle. Sometimes you could see the formation of these gangs and these criminal forces and so, on an individual basis, we need to reach out and not cast a blind eye on it,” Jean stated.
“Another thing too is we are afraid to speak. People are afraid to speak. The police cannot do it on their own. The police are not magicians, and so they need evidence. They need eyewitnesses in order to come forward,” she added.
Jean asserted that dealing with crime is not an easy fix, so everyone needs to play their part.
Woman was your son troubled? Last time I checked it was an actual officer who shot him! In this case it was the no good nothing taking out one of their own!
Lady
People are not willing to come forward because of retribution. Dear Leader is releasing gunmen on bail who can easily come back and harm them. Is that good enough for you?
@Smh please read this article fully. Ms Jean was empathising with the mother of the deceased who apparently witnessed this atrocity. An extremely traumatizing event for her let alone anyone. And you seem to imply that it’s ok for one (in your opinion) ‘no good nothing’ person killing another ie taking the law (as they see it) into their own hands. This is one of many reasons, that St Lucia is becoming a Lawless society. That and a complete lack of empathy for all other living beings.
@smh your comment is what i call a mirror comment.It reflects the same lack of empathy “that the no good something” displayed in gunning down the other “no good something” in plain view of his family. The reality is that any murder committed in a society has an effect on every individual in that society and it is comments like yours that give a glimpse into the darkness in the human spirit. The next time you want to make a mirror comment, take a look in an actual mirror and realize that your comment can make you look like one of those “no good somethings” or you can just STFUP!!
St. Lucia = sad state of affairs.
The crime issue is as a result of —– Absent parenting, also known as absent parent syndrome, that is when a parent is not present in their child’s life, either physically or emotionally. Please know that this syndrome is all over St. Lucia.
This absenteeism can have detrimental effects on a child’s development and overall well-being.
Some parents are children having children themselves with Tom, Dick and Harry who also come from dysfunction and also without proper education/development/guidance and as a result the generation that follows does the same thing and so on and so on.
In addition envy, jealousy, evil and more. Also, some people think that the government owes them something – that is not realistic thinking. The government did not tell you to have more kids that you could afford to care for as you can not even care for yourself. Nor did the government tell you to hang your hat where you hand can not reach. I left St. Lucia at a young age and because I did not follow bad company, but decided to pursue an education – my peers use to talk about me and say “that girl fresh” —–
By the way, this has absolutely nothing to do with poverty. If you conduct research you will see that in some nations where poverty is prevalent – the folk find a way to sustain themselves. They resort to farming, fishing, sewing etc. etc. etc. and not gang banging.
I continue to strongly feel that additives in the food, are great contributors to the toxic and bombastic behavior that we are seeing across the globe, and we are consuming a lot of processed foods. The days of cooking a meal seems to have gone out with the Twist Dance of the 60s. Sadly, many of us have lost our Moral Compass.
Not a work on little Mello from Micoud South…may his soul RIP. He is being laid to rest today;
Parents neeeed to correct their child the first time he/she comes home with a truck/toy you, the parent did not purchase