Gunshots were fired in the dead of night on Amandala Drive Extension yesterday. It wasn't until seven and a half hours later that the staff of Sadie Vernon High School realized that their security guard was the target, and he was lying dead in his booth.
28-year-old Kadeem Babb had been working there for three years and the principal said he was always a friendly face on campus. But last night, someone wanted him dead, and this morning, his family woke up to the worst news they could get.
Courtney Menzies was on the scene this morning and has this story.
The holes in this window were made by bullets that took the life of 28-year-old Kadeem Babb. Babb was a security guard at Sadie Vernon High School working the nightshift, but when the staff found the gate locked this morning, they realized something was wrong.
Deborah Martin, Principal, Sadie Vernon High School
"I received a call and some text messages this morning that the booth was locked and the employees of the school were unable to enter. Usually, we have 24 hours security services or watchmen on duty and when my employees tried to get on the compound this morning as early as 7:00, they were not able to come and so that sent an alarm when they were hailing for the watchman on duty and there was no response. So what happened was that they looked around the booth area and they noticed that on one of the window blinds there was a bullet hole, or more than one. And so that called them to action and then basically my office assistance jumped the fence and came on the compound, we had to get a hammer to open the door so that he could enter to see what had happened and then we found him in there lying down."
"I was completely shocked because as I was explaining to family member and our team here that he was the last person on my mind last night and the first person because I was coming to process salaries and it's tough."
And surveillance footage revealed that his murder happened just before midnight by a man riding a bicycle. He stood on the street and fired several shots in the booth, specifically targeting Babb. But why? That's what his his family wants to know.
Leroy Babb, Father of Deceased
"Kadeem Babb, he was my eldest son. As far as I'm concerned to be honest, he was just always Kadeem. Always Kadeem, that's all I could tell you."
Courtney Menzies:
"Kadeem never relayed to you that he felt his life was in danger?"
Leroy Babb, Father of Deceased
"No, none whatsoever."
Courtney Menzies:
"Did you ever fear for him considering he has this security and sometimes he had to work at night?"
Leroy Babb, Father of Deceased
"No, sometimes I would visit him there. But I never though that on his job site something like that would happen. Who would want to go to a school? That's my thing. School is for educators and children. I don't see school being a bank, being anything of value more than just brains. that's all I can say."
But the police believe that the motive stemmed from a previous problem he may have had with the shooter.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"There may have been some issue between the security guard and another individual that is not gang related because I already saw some comments stating that oh we have SOE and this is happening but the murder is not gang related and the police have obtained surveillance footage from the school, we're viewing the footage now and hopefully we'll be able to identify who the individual is and we'll be able to make an arrest."
But until justice is served, his loved ones has to now bear the grief. They Babb's personality was so large that it left an impression on everyone.
Deborah Martin, Principal, Sadie Vernon High School
"He worked here for three years, he started in 2021, and he's friendly, outgoing, you will know that he is on the compound when he is here, always helpful, knows to put a smile on your face, that's the kind of person."
Leroy Babb, Father of Deceased
"If you know me, I think you know who's Kadeem, honestly. Anybody who sees me would know who Kadeem was. Pie! Meat! Pie! Pow pow pow pow pow. That's who he was because he used to sell meatpies for my mom before he started working at Sadie Vernon but that's what I remember about my son. He was a hard worker."
"He always, I think that's the closest thing to get into the military or the police because he always wanted to be a security or a police or BDF. But that's the closest so he did love his job, I must say that."
"Like I said, I cannot fathom what happened and I'm just trying my best to put one foot in front of the other, that's about it."
Babb leaves behind two sons.
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