Today five children can only visit their father at a cemetery.

Almost two gut-wrenching years after his murder, they continue to wonder why their breadwinner, 36-year-old Kayon Thompson, was ripped from their lives.

He was also the provider for his mother and younger sister, following the death of his father and brother. His father died in a motor vehicle crash in 2010, and his brother in 2014 due to asthma.

Thompson, who operated a bar in Bogue Hill, on his family property, overlooking the St James capital of Montego Bay, was shot and killed at an event at the same bar by gunmen on August 27, 2021. At the time, his children were one, four, six, 12 and 16 years old. There has been no updates regarding the investigation to date — much to the pain of the family.

Police had described the event, which was four hours after the islandwide COVID-19 curfew hours would’ve begun, as an illegal event.

However, his family, bereaved and torn, had told the Jamaica Observer that it was a bingo party that was being held — an attempt by Thompson to generate income to support the family through hard times brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The family said there was no party being held.

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kingston Kenneth Richards said the situation at hand is a reminder that crime continues to affect Jamaican youth. He noted that looking at the specific situation surrounding Thompson’s five children, it is difficult to conclude that youth are not direct victims of crime.

“The fact that the dependents; five children and a younger sister had their father and older brother ripped from their lives, having been shot and killed at a bar he operated, means that they are direct victims. This is the sad reality of crime and violence affecting us all directly. The fact is that even persons who are remotely connected with a murdered victim can be gravely traumatised. The community and even the nation is traumatised,” Richards told the Sunday Observer.

Statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) showed that Jamaica recorded 1,498 murders in 2022. A year prior, 1,463 murders were committed across the island — up 132 from 2020’s numbers.

“The high murder rate in our country is affecting us all. As a means of survival, some persons are numb to the commonplace reality of lives being destroyed by crime and violence. Others are terrified, and some are paranoid, living in a state of anxiety. We are all victims in a society where crime and violence is commonplace, and will occur at any time and place,” Richards added.

A police source told the Sunday Observer that on August 27, 2021, “two men were fatally shot, as about 11:20 pm, a party was in full swing in front of a bar in Bogue Hill when gunmen pounced upon a group of revellers and opened fire.”

After the incident, Thompson, his sister and a friend were found suffering from gunshot wounds. They were taken to hospital where Thompson and the unidentified man were pronounced dead. His sister was treated and is now okay.

One of the last things Thompson heard his sister saying was “hold on… just two more minutes” while they were on their way to Cornwall Regional Hospital.

“All of what he did is for the family. Everything that he did. My brother is all about my mother, his kids and me. We don’t have anybody else,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Pointing to the now fatherless children, Richards said Jamaican youth were “definitely affected” in a general way, especially when they lose an individual who is the stable provider of security, well-being and livelihood.

“Our youth are definitely affected negatively because of the space in which they witness and experience the undermining of human dignity. Some may become perpetrators who contribute to the cycle of victimising others through crime and violence,” he said.

“The question to Cain in Genesis 4 verse 10 is addressed to the perpetrators of crime and violence: ”What have you done?’ The Lord asked. ‘Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. Therefore, youth are direct victims of crime and violence as revealed by the loss that the dependents.”

Meanwhile, attorney-at-law Alexander Shaw told the Sunday Observer that in cases similar to that of Thompson, families and children of victims of crime are left with high hopes in the justice system. They somewhat find closure when perpetrator who disrupt their families pay for their crimes. However, that isn’t the most common outcome.

“One of the challenges that we face as a Third World country is the lack of enough investigators to pursue certain matters. And so, when you have one investigator dealing with 10 cases, chances are he or she will not get quality time to spend on all of them. You also have to pay attention to resources available to investigators and detectives,” Shaw reasoned.

Shaw added that a lack of resources means that they may not get an opportunity to follow certain leads.

“To cure that problem, the State has to focus on providing more human resources, because it is all good to improve on technology and forensic technology and evidence gathering, but you also need to ensure that you have enough hands and eyes to deal with these matters,” he said.

It’s a two-edged sword, Shaw continued. He noted that from the standpoint of one within the justice system, there is a deep want for families to get closure but at the same time, there is also a want for the best case to go before the court.

“I am speaking now from the standpoint of an investigator, because oftentimes, we build false hope. And so, families may feel some sort of closure, some sort of conclusion when they hear that somebody is charged but if there isn’t sufficient evidence and the availability of eyewitnesses to procure a conviction, then it makes no sense,” he stressed.

“We know for a fact that our wheels of justice grind exceedingly slow and so, the mater will be before the court for sometimes five, six, seven years. And if the person is acquitted, a family is going to feel even more devastated, so you want to ensure that you put the best before the court,” Shaw stated.