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Was Smith Killed for Weed Business
posted (December 2, 2019)
A twenty six year old man was gunned down in Hattieville on Friday night. His family believes that he was targeted over what they say is an old beef.

Cherisse Halsall went to Hattieville today tracing Richard Smith's last steps…his sister says that police haven't done enough to to give the family any hope of justice for Richard.

Friday night would have seemed a typical night for 26 year old Richard Smith. He went to Dollar Kite Store to pick up some food, rode home on his bike to eat, and then came back out to take a few drinks with some friends. But that Friday night that you could almost call common place, became anything but, because Smith wouldn't survive it.

Shakira Smith, Sister of Richard Smith
"Several persons was around him and they left ahead with certain persons that was on the scene with him and they went. It look like my brother, I don't know if he was waiting. All I know my brother and it looks like he was waiting for who was with him at the moment so that they could have left. It looks like they had left and after that he left, but the left that the person left wasn't to go home, they left and lay waited my brother. Whosoever waited for my brother knew exactly where he was. It has to be somebody who knew where he was, to know exactly when he left to lay wait him."

This is the Road that Richard Smith used to leave Kite store, the road lead to Robby's Restaurant. Smith was accustomed to go home using a shortcut behind the restaurant. It was here that shots rang out.

Shakira Smith, Sister of Richard Smith
"Right now we are confused. We are hurt, because my brother might be anything and we are not saying my brother was innocent, because he is not, but my brother is not a dog. The saddest part of this that hurts us the most is that we the family they didn't reach out to us. If people who were on the scene didn't try to get to us, we wouldn't know that our brother got shot. He was there laying down as the video is showing. The thing that hurts me the most is that the police got the video from someone that was on the scene, because all the person wanted to do was to let them hear what he had to say with his last breath. He wasn't shot where he was. So for them to be saying that he died like a punk - they chanced my brother out of his life and I believe that he was set up."

It had only been a month since Smith stopped selling Johnny cakes in the village and since then he'd been living in a small house down the road from his wife and child.

Could this have been his method of protecting them by disassociation? And What does the family say to claims that Smith was dealing in Marijuana?

Shakira Smith, Sister of Richard Smith
"Everybody knows that my brother sells weed and it's not marijuana trade. He sells weed and it's not like he took it from anybody. He buy and sell weed. We won't deny the fact that he sells weed. It's not like he didn't go to court already and pled guilty. Everybody saw it on the news. That is what he does for a living."

A bystander captured the moments as he lay dying on the ground, when Smith gasped the name of his killer, as those around him begged for a transport.

His life ebbed away shortly after. His sister says he was aware of the possibility that it would end like this

Shakira Smith, Sister of Richard Smith
"He died trying to make everybody know what happened to him and he does always tells me, sis, If I should die, they would have to chance me, because I will not left myself for anyone to do me anything. He knew people were threatening his life. He told my mom and he spoke to the family. I think that this needs to go in further investigation and they need to talk to the police. Not even yellow tape is around the scene where my brother got shot, nothing and we the family visited the spot, we know and they can't lie to us and it's not fair."

Police have no suspects in Smith's murder at this time.

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