CARLOS Joseph’s dream of marrying his girlfriend and adopting her six-year-old daughter ended when he was shot dead while holding their eight-month-old child on Tuesday.

He was inches away from the girl he wanted to adopt, leaving her shaken, according to her grandmother, who said Joseph occasionally stayed at their family home on Boswaina Court, where he was killed. Her family had become a second support system for him.

Mr Joseph, a waiter, picked up the children from school on his days off, while the grandmother handled pickups on other days. Nothing could have prepared her for the tragedy that unfolded when he dropped the children home from school for the last time on Tuesday.

Police reported that the 27-year-old father arrived at his Flamingo Gardens home around 3pm, carrying his toddler. He was confronted by a lone gunman who emerged from a white Japanese vehicle and shot him multiple times. The toddler and the other girl were unharmed.

When The Tribune visited the home yesterday, relatives were caring for the two girls as muffled sounds from the children filtered through the window.

The grandmother, who wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue, said she and her daughter were not home when the shooting occurred. However, her elderly mother and sister were present, and her mother was still visibly distraught. She expressed gratitude that her grandchildren were physically unharmed.

“I serve a big God,” she said. “He shielded them because any one of those bullets could have exited him and hit my grandchild, but none of them did. So God shielded them, and because of God, you have to be thankful they’re still here.”

The grandmother is seeking counselling for her older granddaughter to ensure she receives the emotional support she needs. She said the children’s mother is “emotionally distraught” and finds it hard to talk to anyone.

While the grandmother could not comment on Mr Joseph’s past, she described him as “humble” and “mannerly”. She said he would often go to work and return home immediately.

“I can’t say how he presented himself to other people, but to me, that’s how he presented himself,” she said.

Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told reporters that police had interacted with Joseph before but did not provide further details.

His mother and other relatives who live in the United States were said to be devastated by his death.

Some of Mr Joseph’s aunts, cousins, and sisters also visited the home where he was killed on Tuesday, struggling to comprehend what had happened.

Mr Joseph’s death marked the 90th murder of the year, according to The Tribune’s records.

The circumstances of his death mirror that of Eddie Miller, who was killed in front of his children at a plaza on the corner of Faith Avenue and Cowpen Road early last month.

Carlos Reid, a Ministry of National Security consultant, lamented the heartlessness and boldness of the killers.

“One time ago, if somebody had a beef with you and they saw you with the kids, they would let that slide,” he said. “But nowadays, this new generation of gangsters, they don’t care. If you’re with your mother, grandmother, they don’t care; even if kids are around.”