Night of reflection planned for Waddell’s first death anniversary

Nearly one year after he was killed, the police are yet to find the persons who pumped 13 bullets into the body of Ronald Waddell.

Next Tuesday marks one year since the controversial talk show host and political activist was gunned down outside his Subryanville home and the Justice For Jermaine Committee (JJC) has planned a night of reflection at the Square of the Revolution in observance of this.

In a release the JJC said Waddell was assassinated for shouting out truths and championing the pains of injustices in the face of all that is humanly evil.

According to the JJC, Waddell’s death was covered up by “those with authority and tremendous blood money who together conspired to fulfil this assassination on the eve of Black History month.”

The JJC added that it will remember Waddell in the spirit of Cuffy, Jack Gladstone, Amsterdam, Burnham, Damon, Rodney and all who have defied oppression.

The event will feature cultural and ceremonial items and would also be interspersed with messages from political speakers.

On the night of his death, relatives said, Waddell had gone out earlier to do his regular exercises and returned home around 6.30 pm. He did a few things around the house and prepared to leave again around 8 pm. Stabroek News was told that Waddell went through the gate, closed it and sat in his car. No sooner had he done this, a bright light appeared in front of his Subryanville yard and gunshots followed. According to reports, a dark-coloured car took the gunmen to the scene. The car was reportedly parked on the northern half of the highway facing east and its occupants were apparently watching Waddell’s movements from the seawall. According to reports, as soon as Waddell stepped into the car, the two gunmen ran across the road and opened fire on the vehicle. They then ran back across the road, jumped into their car and sped away east along the highway. Police had arrested freed murder accused, Shawn Hinds and two relatives of dead ‘hitman’ Axel Williams, but the men were all released.

It was believed that a city-based death squad with links to the underworld carried out the killing.