Gunshot victim was trying to turn his life around – friends

Friends of gunshot victim Damien Blucher say that the young man was trying to get his life in order in recent times, but activities in his past may have caught up with him, resulting in his death.

Blucher, affectionately known by his contemporaries as “Max,” was gunned down by two or more assailants around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday{{more}} night, not too far from his home in Glen.

His death was the second gun related killing of the night, and the 33rd murder of the year.

According to one individual who spoke to SEARCHLIGHT earlier this week, in the area where Blucher was killed, the 25-year-old was sitting under a shed with other individuals when he decided to leave the area.

“He started to walk down the road and when he reach by the sand heap there, they come from behind the bush there and start to shoot him.

“He started collecting shots from by the sand heap there, then he run about 50 metres before he collapse there by the gap,” the individual told SEARCHLIGHT, pointing at various locations on the street.

SEARCHLIGHT understands that Blucher received multiple gunshots about his body, including his head, which caused one of his eyes to become dislodged from the socket.

Another individual, who said that Blucher was like a little brother to him, pointed out that the father of a baby girl was known to have a quick temper, but was making adjustments in his life.

“Max was a cool and quiet guy, who never use to trouble anybody,” the grieving man said. “But if you get him vex, it was a box or a slam or a bottle in yuh face.

“But he did cool out and thing. He stop going bush and plant weed, and did even get a job as a bartender and thing,” the friend said.

The friend disputed rumours that Blucher’s shooting could be related to a series of other murders, which, according to popular belief, stemmed from the stealing of a quantity of cocaine from South Americans.

“Nah, Max wasn’t in that. If he was mix up in that I would know, but Max wasn’t in that.

“I know he and some Glen men in the area had they thing before, but he was cool with some of them and he wasn’t cool with some.”

SEARCHLIGHT was informed that some time last year Blucher sought counselling because of his troubled past.

His shooting death brings to seven, the number of persons shot to death in the area this year, with a number of other injured in separate incidents.

Also on Saturday, Kingstown Park businessman Keon Lawrence was shot and killed by masked gunmen, who chased and shot the 38-year-old multiple times about his body.

He was found at the edge of a river bank the following day.

48-year-old Lawrence Marks was shot earlier that night, at about 7 p.m. at Yambou in the Marriaqua valley. He was found with a gunshot wound to the face.(JJ)