And the last murder yesterday that triggered this Southside state of emergency was the murder of working man, 21-year-old Derrick King. King was shot and killed at the corner of Orange and West streets while on his delivery rounds for Bowen and Bowen.
Three others, including 48-year-old Francine Wade, 38-year-old Clifford Oliver, and King's side-man 20-year-old Haywood Brown, were shot.
Questions remain about whether King was targeted by the gunman who ended his life. And this morning Cherisse Halsall spoke to his heartbroken mother who describes her son as hard-working, humble, and kind:
Today, the Commissioner of police said King was caught in the crossfire.
The shooting happened around 3:15 at the corner of Cemetery Road and West Street, a busy time in a much-trafficked area of the city.
Bowen and Bowen delivery men Derrick King and Haywood Brown were shot by a lone gunman. King didn't survive. This morning his mother is searching for answers and finding it difficult to understand why her son's life was taken while he was doing an honest day's work.
Pearlene Polonio - Derrick King's Mother
"I really really would want to know exactly what happened yesterday because they want know if he have any conflict with anybody, Derrick hardly even talk home. When he comes he rubs my head coolie gal you alright, he'd say straight. He take his bag and go up the street by his girlfriend. When you see he come back again, ma lend a lee 20 dollars, I done know what the 20 dollars for because he gamble, he like gamble that is for he hobby. Derrick is not a child or a young man that will have any problem with anybody out there."
A mother's remembrances of a hard working son who had been with Bowen and Bowen since he was 18.
Pearlene Polonio
"What I can remember most about Derrick as just a humble person, very humble, respectable and kind. Mein if Derrick or anyone of my children were like those real, real, real disturbing child, like they no have no sense, then I would have understand why this happen, How much more humble could Derrick have been. They don't know they bring monster out of people when they do those things but I will be the strong woman, I will be the strong mother because Derrick always tell me stop stress, he always said stop stress mom what you the worry about because sometimes I know he work out there and if I hear gunshot or so, I hurry call. Derrick where you deh? Ma I the work, what time are you coming off? Ma when I'm done I'll come. Whosoever did this, I hope they have a conscience if they sit down and eat I want them to see his face there, I want them to see his face while their sleeping, make them know what wrong they doing to people out ya, they destroying homes, they dragging people's homes."
And while 4 people were victims of the gunfire Derrick was reportedly the gunman's target but his mother couldn't tell you why.
Pearlene Polonio
"I don't know, I don't know because one minute it's like he wasn't the direct target they were having some kind of war or something out there but he was working, so he no know how to hold a gun to use it, why he use it? Why? He is so stupid that he no even conscious that maybe for he ma could have been the walk that street, for he sister, any relative to he could have been walking on that street at the same time. How would he have feel to make he carry somebody that is for he. They say corporal punishment is over, bring it back because it is going too far, it's going to far from those young kids who not even know what is life."
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