By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe acknowledged that Mario Brown, a man murdered in Kemp Road over the weekend, may have had a troubled past but hailed him as a positive influence on the youth in the community.

Brown was one of three people killed over the weekend. He was reportedly ambushed by gunmen driving a light-coloured vehicle while arriving in front of a home in Cooper’s Terrace, off Kemp Road, on Sunday.

Brown had several pending court cases, including a 2019 murder charge and a 2023 firearms charge.

    Mario Brown
  

Nonetheless, Mr Munroe, the MP for Freetown, said it was tragic that Brown’s life was cut short just as he was working to make a positive impact.

“He was working to try to influence the young men to stop doing some of the silly crimes they were doing, “ he told reporters.

“The crime statistics for that division showed that his work was having some results, and so from that perspective, it is unfortunate that a young man, regardless of what he may have done in the past, at this point of his life, was making a positive contribution in controlling the young men in that area to try to turn away from negative actions and lifestyles.”

Mr Munroe said Brown’s killing is a “symptom of what is happening in the community” and again appealed to parents to take responsibility for their children and cooperate with police to prevent further violence.

When asked whether Brown was a gang leader and to consider that his death was retaliation for past crimes, Mr Munroe acknowledged that everyone has a past.

He said the tragedy is reminder of the importance of preventing young men from getting involved in crime, as it may be difficult to leave that lifestyle once they are in it.

“I don’t swear for anyone, not even my children, because if you’re not with someone 24 hours a day, you do not know what they may be doing,” he said. “What I can say is the fruits of what he was doing was plain.”

Brown leaves behind three children and a grieving mother, who is still mourning the loss of Brown’s older brother, who was killed in a notorious shooting on Jerome Avenue in 2021 that claimed the lives of five others.