Family wants justice for slain loved one

The family of a Layou taxi driver is calling for justice to be served, following the discovery of their relative’s lifeless body in an abandoned building at Argyle, on the east coast of St Vincent.{{more}}

Calvert ‘Boom Shack” Patterson, age given as 48, was discovered by police in an abandoned building some time on Wednesday evening, after being reported missing, earlier that day, by his girlfriend.

SEARCHLIGHT understands that the deceased received wounds to his head and face; earlier reports of gunshots to the body could not be verified.

On Thursday morning, some of Patterson’s family members spoke to SEARCHLIGHT at the mortuary in Kingstown, where they had gathered to identify the body.

Christine Small, his girlfriend of one year, told this publication that ‘Shacka’ as she calls him, was last seen at his shop in ‘Little Tokyo’ on Tuesday afternoon, just before he received a phone call, to transport clients to the Mesopotamia area.

“He said he was going to do a job and come back, he say he coming back now.”

“It was after four, minutes to five, I didn’t see him show up, so I kept calling his phone when I see he didn’t reach back yet, but his phone was off.

“I got concerned because that’s not him; no matter where he is and I call him, he would answer his phone,” Small said.

Small said that later that evening, she reached out to his relatives, asking if they had seen or heard from the father of five, who has a home in Chateaubelair. The relatives informed her that they had not, after trying to reach him themselves.

The following day, after she and other family members had not heard from Patterson, she reported him missing to the Central Police Station.

According to Small, she received phone calls from persons who said that they had heard that Patterson’s body was found with gunshot wounds.

She said she called the police to confirm, and was told to come to the office of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Thursday morning.

“Then I went there this morning, I saw his van in the barracks (white Toyota Noah HQ565)… then I called his family and told them that I need some support because like what I heard was true.”

“Then they bring us to identify the body and it was him,” Small said.

She said that items that he left the shop with, including his wallet and jewelry, were missing from his body.

Small described Patterson as a jovial, friendly person, who was well known and liked by everyone who knew him.

“For the time I know him, I don’t think he have any enemies, because everybody [who] come there and him was good. I never hear he come and complain to me about ‘this person this and this person that’. No!”

Patterson’s sister Donna, who was also at the mortuary, said that the death of her older brother saddened her deeply.

“My brother was such a nice person, he didn’t interfere with people, he always made his jokes…. Too much of robbing and killing going on and I will like to see something done in this country. I really feel it. We want justice.”

At his shop in Little Tokyo, Donna’s sentiments were echoed by another brother, Lenny, who questioned why Patterson had to die in that manner.

“To be honest, my brother don’t trouble people, and I don’t see the reason why they would do my brother dem kind of things. He was a good guy… is better they did just rob him and take what he had and leave him, he is a man who I know would have left that right so.”

Police are said to be investigating the matter.