A grief-stricken Kamla Singh has made a passionate plea to anyone with information on the Cummings Lodge shooting two years ago, in which her daughter and grandson were among those killed, to come forward so that she can have some closure.
September 4 and 5 marked the second anniversary of deaths of three-year-old Neil Jupiter
and his mother Fiona Singh. As expected these were the hardest days for Kamla.
Singh’s boyfriend and the child’s father Steve Jupiter called ‘Steve man’; Christopher Gordon called ‘Bigga’ and Sherwin Jerome called ‘Dice Head’ were the others murdered during the incident.
Speaking to Stabroek News from her home, Kamla could not control her tears as she remembered the two, who she called “the bright lights” in her life.
Though so much time has passed she is yet to get any positive word from the police on the investigation.
She said she had restrained herself during the last year from checking in with the police after former commissioner Henry Greene, who is now deceased, had told her that the two were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Further, she said, Greene had linked the killings to drugs, a statement that still has her disturbed and disappointed.
“One would have thought that after two years, if they knew this thing was drug related they could have had some evidence to support this”, she said amidst sobs.
She added, “They didn’t find Jupiter’s car with no drugs, no gun and the police just claiming that.”
According to Kamla, at no time did she get vibes that any of the men were involved in any illegal activity. Steve and Gordon where known to her and would often visit her home. The woman said that prior to the shooting, her daughter never made any revelations about Gardener; in fact she described him as a good person.
“If one of the men was involved in something, it was not fair for them to just wait and execute all of them,” she said noting that in her silent moments she tries to figure it out but parts still remain missing.
She still hopes that one day all of her questions would be answered and those responsible would be brought to justice.
Kamla called on Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, Minister of Human Services Jennifer Webster and the President to help her in her quest for justice. Anyone with information, she said, can contact her on 689-5792.
According to her, she has since relocated to the mining town of Linden. She said that the July 18 shootings there brought back fresh memories and she was able to relate to the pain the grieving relatives felt.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud said that there have been no new developments in the investigation. “The investigation hasn’t moved,” he said adding that the shooting was related to two other cases; one in Stone Avenue, Campbellville days later which left Patrick Goodluck and his friend Godfrey Grootfaam dead and in the other Mark Caesar called `Lil Mark’ was executed in another barrage of bullets from high-powered weapons as he stood alone at the corner of Broad and Adelaide streets. One person who was related to Jupiter was charged in relation to Caesar’s death. Caesar and Jupiter were said to be good friends.
Persaud said the firearm linked to the Stone Avenue crime was found in the possession of a Jamaican but the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had advised that there was insufficient evidence to lay a charge in relations to the killings.
A source told this newspaper that while investigations have an idea as to what led to the shooting, gathering the evidence to back this up has been difficult. The source said Jupiter was known to investigators as a hired gun.
Gordon had been deported in 2003 for narcotic related offences, but there was no real information pertaining to Jerome.
According to the source, from all indications this case may remain unsolved for decades to come not only because of its nature but because of who was involved. Based on the initial reports, around 19:35 hours on September 4, 2010, police received a report of a shooting at Second Field, South East Cummings Lodge and on investigating found motor car PLL 2297 with several bullet holes and the bodies of the five inside.
Moments before, Jupiter, who resided at Industry, East Coast Demerara had picked up Singh and the toddler from a relative’s home in the area. It was as they were driving out persons opened fire on them. An eyewitness had told Stabroek News that two cars had been parked on the dark roadway for several minutes before the shooting.
A barrage of empty casings, shells and warheads were later recovered at the scene, but according to the police the bullets recovered did not match any firearms used at any other crime scene.
