By Theresa Goodwin
A kind and gentle person who dreamed of owning his own small restaurant one day is one of the ways in which family members are reminiscing about 33-year-old Marlon Christian of Herberts, who was shot and killed on Friday night.
The father-of-one was apparently fired at as he sat in the passenger seat of a car on Bishopsgate Street at around 9.30pm on July 9.
His death has shocked members of his family who, on Saturday, marked the first anniversary of the killing of another relative, Customs Inspector Nigel Christian.
The 44-year-old Customs Inspector was abducted in the presence of his mother at their McKinnons home on July 10 last year, before his bullet-riddled body was found soon after in the New Winthorpes area.
Marlon’s cousin, Tchaiko Christian, told Observer on Sunday that he was a soft-spoken individual who was loved by many.
“His mother is not taking it so well at all, [neither] his brothers and the rest of the family; it is really heart-wrenching. He was not a troublesome person or someone that gets into quarrel with anyone. It’s really hard to figure out why someone would want to harm him, much less hurt him in that manner,” Christian explained.
She said her family members are deeply hurt, especially when they reflect on the way in which their two relatives had been taken from them.
“Nigel was our second cousin and Marlon died of gunshot before the first year anniversary. That spins wheels and we cannot help but wonder if there is a connection. We do not know and we are waiting on the police to give us some answers,” Tchaiko said.
Marlon’s death also comes a year and a half after he lost his father to cancer, which Tchaiko said was devastating for him.
She recalled that a picnic on the beach a month before the passing of his father was the last time the whole family got to spend some much-needed time together.
She said Marlon was a quiet and sensitive person who will be forever in their hearts and their thoughts.
Similar tributes were shared on Marlon’s personal Facebook page by his friends and well-wishers. Marlon was also well known in the hospitality sector, and had been employed at Sandals Grande Antigua and the Halcyon Cove Hotel.
His death brings to four the number of homicides recorded in the country this year. This latest incident follows that of mother-of-three Althea Henry last month; David Roberts of Newfield in May; and Corporal Clifton Common in February.
Police spokesman Inspector Frankie Thomas told Observer yesterday that no one had yet been taken into custody for Marlon Christian’s death, but that investigations remained underway.
He also appealed to anyone who may have information about the incident to contact the Criminal Investigations Department on 462-3913.