By NICO SCAVELLA 

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

TEACHERS, classmates and loved ones gathered on Friday for a tear-filled tribute to murdered 13-year-old Keishon Williams, who was remembered as a friendly and positive student leader.

At an emotional memorial service for Keishon at A F Adderley’s gym, family, friends and faculty lamented the “stupidity” behind the death of a boy they said was “innocent and so undeserving of what happened to him”.

Moreover, they described the 13-year-old victim as a boy with a “bright smile” who was also kind-hearted, energetic, honest and obedient.

School said Keishon was a “very active student”. He served as president of the Builder’s Climb, was an active member of the Student Christian Movement, and a member of A F Adderley’s Positive Male Mentorship Group.

“I said, ‘Bye baby’,” a sobbing teacher, Sharell Edwards, said of her last interaction with Keishon, recounting that the slain student resiliently flashed his “beautiful smile” at her despite being scolded for taking too long to complete his coursework.

“You see, Keishon was not just a student, but he was one of my children,” she said. “No matter what happened in my class, he knew I loved him and I would do anything for him.”

The plan was for Keishon to finish up his Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) art project – a turtle – by next week, and then move on to “decorating” it after having spent too much time trying to finish the turtle’s head, according to Mrs Edwards, who remarked that the turtle was “hard as a rock” because he had applied to many layers of papier-mâché.   

After sternly “rowing” him about his turtle, Mrs Edwards said Keishon simply smiled and responded: “Yes, ma’am, I gone get it done.”

When the school bell rang, while exiting her classroom for what would be the last time, Mrs Edwards recalled Keishon said to her: “ ‘Bye Mrs Edwards’, flashing that beautiful smile I grew accustomed to seeing.”

Instead of returning to school with a finished turtle, Mrs Edwards said his project now “sits incomplete”. 

The bodies of Keishon of Plantol Street, and his cousin Davante Lindsey of Knowles Drive, Bozine Town, were discovered early on Sunday morning on a dirt road off Graham Drive, Yellow Elder Gardens. 

The Tribune understands that the pair were found side-by-side and appeared to have been shot execution style. Their bodies were found around 9am by people walking in the area.

“ ‘Friendly’ was a perfect adjective to describe Keishon,” said Mrs Edwards, struggling to deliver her remarks whilst fighting back tears.

“He was one of the happiest persons I knew, and it was truly a pleasure to teach him. If you were looking for someone who was reliable, honourable, mannerly, Keishon was your boy. In fact, he was the only child I know who smiled even when I was rowing. That smile I will miss.” 

Mrs Edwards added: “Keishon was dedicated to learning everything he could. Every activity I planned, he ensured he participated. Skype sessions, Edmodo lessons – he did them all. Every club I facilitated he was there serving and leading. If there was something you needed done he was always the first to volunteer. He was a hard worker who worked diligently.”

For his homeroom teacher Kenya Ferguson, Keishon was more than just a student, but also a loyal companion. Ms Ferguson tearfully recounted how she would be one of the first, if not the first, persons Keishon would seek to greet upon coming to school, and also how he would join her for lunch on a daily basis. 

“First thing in the morning he comes straight to my homeroom,” Ms Ferguson said. “If he was late he came to let me know he was to school. Breaktime he came to me, lunchtime he would eat lunch with me everyday. After school even if he didn’t have my class he would come to get my bags to take to my car,” she said. 

“That’s just the kind of child (he was), innocent and so undeserving of what happened to him.

“Having Keishon for the past three years in my homeroom has indeed been an enjoyable experience. Keishon was very kind, he was helpful, he took initiative; anything that he sees that needs to be done he would automatically just do it. He was kind, very encouraging to his classmates...And even if someone would crack a joke (about) him, he would still laugh along with them. He wouldn’t allow the negativity of the world to keep him down. Even being someone with a speech impediment, he would laugh along with them and he would make fun of himself.” 

According to school officials and friends alike, Keishon was an avid lover of music, so much so that during the memorial service his two best friends, Odian Decius and Dikaioo Miller, decided to perform a rap song, with Dikaioo providing the beatboxing in their slain friend’s honour. 

While many students visibly shed tears for their fallen schoolmate throughout Friday’s service, Odian smiled while telling The Tribune about the moments he and Keishon shared as best friends, especially in regards to Keishon’s love of rap music. 

“I will personally miss the fact that every single day he comes to me, and he’s like ,‘Bey, you do that country rap yet?’ ‘Let me hear this rap. Bey, let me do this rap’, ‘Bey, I come up with a new rap idea’,” Odian said of his friend. “Every time you see him he comes up with a new rap or a new beat or something new. And I’ll always miss that about him.”

“Sometimes I used to clown around with Keishon, but he wouldn’t really be playing with me,” said Odian. “And he’d get a little angry; you could see it in his expression, but all in all he’s still smiling and he’s always just there and being happy and always smiling. For four-and-a-half years I knew Keishon, from primary school to now, and he was never ever really trying to get into any problems.”

Odian added: “He never started a problem with anyone. He was always quiet and gentle, but active. If you put him to a task he’ll do it, and if you felt like you need to just quit he was always there for you to back you up to tell you keep on going, just push a little harder, just keep going just a little bit more. Even it’s just to get that extra 10 per cent, he wants to push you to 110 per cent.

“Keishon was never a problematic child, he was always trying to be friends with people, he always had this crazy smile. And his lips were huge, so that smile was just ‘boom’ – just out there. And we’d just be having fun.

“Every day we’d come to school, we’d just chill and we’d talk and we’d crack jokes, just kid stuff, you know? Just having fun,” said Odian.

Keishon and Davante are the country’s 35th and 36th murders of the year, according to The Tribune’s records.