The Tribune

THREE months ago, Jamesly Richmond was killed.

He was riding his motorbike when he was reportedly struck by a vehicle. 

This was on June 23. He died on June 25 in Princess Margaret Hospital. 

His motorbike was not found on the scene. 

Was he killed so someone could steal the motorbike? 

We do not know - and neither does his family because there still has been no classification of his death. 

The 19-year-old was living the right way. He was working as a barber. 

His cousin, Jacques Israel, worked with him at a barber shop. 

Back at the start of August, he talked about how it was frustrating. He talked of being patient, but then went on to say “y’all don’t know nothing? That don’t make sense”.

No one stopped at the scene to say they were responsible. No one has as yet told the family how the death has been classified - whether intentional or unintentional. 

At the very least, it has all the appearances of a hit and run. Possibly more than that if theft from a dying man was involved. 

All Jamesly’s family knows is that the police has classified the matter as a death investigation. 

Authorities are working to determine if he died from natural causes, an accident or a homicide. 

I think it is safe to say that being found after being struck by a vehicle and with his own motorbike gone that we can rule out natural causes. 

Reportedly, the last the family heard from police was before the teen’s funeral in July. 

Another of Jamesly’s cousins, Mark Baptise, said: “I’m not happy with it because I want the guys to be punished.

“It’s kind of devastating. It will get you upset every once in a while, thinking about it, that those guys might be on the street still roaming the street, enjoying themselves, and then your loved one that you lose, he’s gone forever, and there’s no way that you can bring him back.

“So hopefully sooner or later they get deal with or the police deal with it sooner or later, but they ain’t giving us no information. We haven’t had any lead to say who it is, who it ain’t.”

Mr Richmond’s relatives had begged him not to buy a motorbike, fearing it would put him in danger and jeopardise his safety.

This is the kind of incident that could touch any of us. 

This family deserves to know more. They deserve a regular line of dialogue with investigators - even if it is only to say the investigation has not come to a conclusion as yet. 

Too often we hear of families asking for more information. 

We understand completely that police officers need to proceed to evaluate the case in a balanced fashion. 

We understand that they need to be given the time to examine every avenue in their investigation. 

But there can surely be no harm in keeping family members who are waiting to hear how a death is even classified apprised of the situation, even if officers cannot go into detail. 

Jamesly had a life of opportunity ahead of him - and it was snatched away by a driver, presumably, who did not even stop. And who may even have stolen from the dying young man. 

That cannot be right.