Patricia Boucaud-Jordan, the mother of murdered Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) watchman Rawle Jordan, affectionately known as “Chubby”, is pleading with Minister of National Security Marvin Gonzales to help steer the nation back to God.
In an interview with Newsday on April 11, she also urged her son’s killer(s) to repent for their sins, give their lives to God and confess to the police.
April is already a painful month for Boucaud-Jordan. In 1988, her husband was killed in the Camp Omega explosion, a tragic incident at the army training site seven miles northwest of Port of Spain.
The blast, triggered by a brush fire that reached the army's ammunition bunker, killed at least six people, injured 20 and flattened the camp.
“Imagine struggling for over 30 years as a single parent, only for someone to come and take your child’s life like that,” she said, her voice breaking. “You can’t imagine the pain we are feeling as a family.”
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Jordan, a father to a 17-year-old son, was at work at the Chiquito Water Treatment Plant in Upper Santa Cruz on April 10 when he was shot and killed.
Police on patrol were alerted by command centre after residents reported hearing gunshots coming from the compound on Chiquito Street. When officers arrived, they found Jordan lying on the ground with gunshot wounds to the left shoulder, right arm and upper right chest.
Crime-scene investigators recovered seven spent 9-mm shells from various manufacturers, along with one projectile.
Boucaud-Jordan said her grandson was struggling to cope with the loss. When asked if anyone from WASA had reached out to the family, she said no. She described Jordan as a loving and caring person.
“He loved children and animals, especially dogs.”
She believes jealousy may have been the motive behind his murder.
“I will remember him as a loving child. He lived for his son. Every child makes mistakes, but nothing could justify killing him.”
Jordan himself had been grieving in the months leading up to his death. His fiancée, whom he was set to marry in December, died in his arms from cancer-related complications.
“She was at home. By the time the ambulance arrived, she had already passed away in his arms. He was going through a lot of grief.”
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Asked if she believed there would be justice for her son, Boucaud-Jordan said, “I don’t know, but I’ll leave it to God. God will deal with them. I hope mothers are speaking to their children. There are a lot of young people involved in crime.”
She believes the removal of religious teachings from schools has contributed to the moral decay in society and urges the Ministry of Education to reconsider implementing a dedicated "faith period" in the school system.
“They stopped teaching children how to pray in school and what have they replaced it with?” she asked. “There are so many young people living with God and these young mothers and fathers are not raising them according to his (God’s) principles. As a result, their children are rebelling.”
She also believes older members in communities who are leading young people astray should be held accountable.
To those responsible for her son’s death, she had this message: “I pray they surrender their lives to Jesus and turn away from that life.”
