Teenager shot dead at friend’s home

Eighteen-year-old Rasco “Ren” Isaacs was at his friend Eduardo Edwards’s home watching wrestling on television when he was shot in the head.{{more}}

“Even though I was standing over the man, I couldn’t believe that he was shot dead,” Eduardo said.

According to Eduardo, at about 9:50 p.m. on Monday, he was in the living room of the two-room dwelling, while Rasco, who was also known as “Monster”, was sitting in the doorway when the shots were fired.

The shooting occurred in the top Sharpes Village area of Chateaubelair.

Of the two shots fired, one caught the victim on the left side of the back of his head, while the other ricocheted off the refrigerator in the house. Police recovered shell castings and the ricocheted bullet.

Eduardo said that he and Rasco had not been on speaking terms for a while, but they re-established their friendship sometime ago and usually looked at wrestling together on Monday nights.

“It’s painful that they put down the youth man like that,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Rasco and some of his friends had gone hunting for iguanas. According to reports, Rasco left after they had caught three, saying that he was fed-up.

Mandy Johnson told SEARCHLIGHT that Rasco was like a little brother to her, and they were planning to cook the iguanas around the same time he was shot.

“Monster was changing his life. He kept saying all week that he wanted to go to Canada to meet his sister,” Mandy said.

Many villagers said that Rasco was going through a change, saying that he had cut his dread locks and was clean shaven and was opening up and making jokes with persons, a departure from the Rasco of a few months ago, who was withdrawn and uncommunicative.

Nicole Williams said that she was playing dominoes with Rasco and others that evening and after the game was over, she went home about 100 feet away, and had a shower. Shortly afterwards, she said she heard the shots.

“Monster didn’t deserve this. He was changing his life for the better and had plans to go away,” Nicole said.

Hilma Isaacs is Rasco’s aunt, who raised him after his mother died when he was four.

“Ren had a rough life and I always talk to him and try to steer him on the right path, but he had his issues like all teenage boys. I wouldn’t say that he was a saint, but he didn’t deserve this,” Hilma said.

Hilma also told SEARCHLIGHT that Rasco and his older brother Beeno also began speaking again and he had apologized to his brother for some things that happened in the past and they were all planning to help him to go overseas.

“We want justice fo Ren; an eye for an eye,” Hilma lamented.

Up to press time, no arrest had been made. (TY)