By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE mother of a man killed in a double shooting on Cowpen Road last Saturday believes her son was not the intended target and regrets not keeping him home longer, which might have helped him avoid the tragedy.

Wayne Missick Jr was fatally shot on October 19, weeks after he celebrated his 30th birthday. Another man was injured during the shooting. 

Missick’s mother, Iris Richardson, recalled that moments before his death, he left their home to buy a soda from the neighbour, saying: “Mummy, I coming right back.”

Soon after, the mother of two heard gunshots and ran downstairs in search of her two sons. 

“I was calling and calling their name, and everybody just was scattered, and everybody just was running, running, running, and I couldn’t find him for nothing and all that time, he was laying by the garbage, and I couldn’t see him in that corner because it was dark,” she said.

She recalled collapsing when she heard news of her oldest son’s death, saying: “That was it for me.”

The grieving mother believes her son, whom she insists was not the intended target, was killed in the crossfire while trying to flee the scene.

She said he had no criminal record and was very disciplined.

“Growing them up, I put fear in both of my sons,” she said. “I said if y’all broke the law, I gon’ jail y’all so don’t let me see y’all do anything y’all ain’t supposed to be doing.”

She described Wayne, a bartender, as well loved by his peers and the community.

She recalled how, just two weeks earlier, he had rushed an injured man to the hospital after a nearby shooting, even when others were reluctant to help.

“He was very helpful in this neighbourhood,” she said. “He leave like a legacy, like a memory that people will never forget him.”

She said her son’s death has been devastating for the family, adding that her younger son “cries every night” while she remains traumatised.

She recalled how neighbours had to pull her away from the scene where her son was killed.

“It was only us three because both of their fathers passed away due to illness, so it was only us three against the whole world and I gone miss that cause if I go to the shop and buy food to eat or snack or hamburger, it always have to be two because I know I have two sons home,” she said.

“Whatever I buy, they appreciate it and the enemy come right there and take my baby away from me just like that.”

Ms Richardson said her son’s death has placed a financial strain on the family and that she intends to launch a GoFundMe page to help with burial expenses.