News
Afisha Glasgow, widow of retired prison officer Victor Williams, weeps as she waits for the results of his autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre, St James on Monday. – Faith Ayoung
AFISHA Glasgow is struggling to come to terms with her husband’s murder in the morning on April 7.
But what worries her even more is how it will affect their 16-year-old son, who is set to take the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams next month.
Retired prison officer Victor Williams, 63, was shot dead during what police believe was a robbery gone wrong.
Williams worked for businessman Christopher Ramsudar, owner of the popular roadside food truck South Pork.
Williams had gone to his employer’s home at around midnight to return the company vehicle and collect his own after dropping other employees home.
Two armed men tried to rob him as he got out of the car and subsequently shot him.
Ramsudar, who was nearby in another car, saw what was taking place and drove straight to the Mon Repos Police Station to report the incident.
Police arrived 15 minutes later and found Williams dead on the ground.
Glasgow described him as a polite and “distinguished gentleman” who always displayed humility.
She said while he was not an active member of the Seventh-Day Adventist church, he lived by the values instilled in him during his time in the church.
She said Williams was dedicated to helping others and did not deserve to die the way he did.
“He gave TT 25 years of service as a prison officer. He’s the most humble person there is and didn’t deserve this.
“Even if it was a case of mistaken identity, they should not have left him there because now his son is without a father, at 16 years.”
She said she was unable to make sense of his death as there was no reason for him to be killed.
“If he was an argumentative person, or he was a person that was dealing in illegal stuff, I would have taken it.
“But to know a mistaken identity or robbery gone wrong – that can’t settle with me, that can’t settle with his family, can’t settle with his friends.”
Glasgow said her son is now experiencing the same sense of loss she felt as a teenager when her mother died.
“I lost my mother at 13 years old. How is a mother supposed to tell her son that his father is not going to be there for his graduation or that he’s not going to see him grow into a big man? How is a mother supposed to tell a 16-year-old that, and how is he supposed to carry that through his adulthood?”
Williams recently started teaching his son to drive. Every Sunday, they went to church and the supermarket and then Williams gave him driving lessons.
Glasgow said her son, who turns 17 in two months, was devastated to wake up to this news on April 7.
Although her son has a good support network, Glasgow said the impact of his father’s death will be long-lasting and she must now find another way to channel his emotions.
“He has the support of his church. He has a praying… family behind him. His school, his principal, his guidance counsellor, his teachers and his friends are playing a big part, too. So, in that regard, I’m not worried.
“I said to him, ‘You need to take that energy and pursue it into a positive aspect in making your Daddy proud because he was already proud of you. So… continue in his footsteps and continue to shine as bright as you can.’”
Describing the men who killed her husband as “nagging pests and nuisances,” Glasgow said any change in the crime situation is dependent on people doing the right thing.
“People need to come out and speak up. People also need to train their children and people need to get jobs (instead of committing crimes).”
She said the government also has a part to play, as people feel the system is broken.
“Don’t just educate youths and then don’t have jobs for them. Put things in place, allow our system to grow instead of our system being stagnant – the judiciary system, the police service, the healthcare system. Everything needs to fixed be in order for us to grow as a people.”
Glasgow called on everyone else to do their part in addressing crime in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Why other innocent people have to suffer and lives have to be taken away from people who are just trying to make a daily living?
“That’s what he was doing. He came from work and was handing over the vehicle to his boss. He was working. It’s not like he was outside distressing people.”
She called on people to show more love.
“What are we coming to as a society? We stop loving each other. We stop praying.
“What is happening? Where is the love? Where is the compassion? Where is it?
“I just want justice for my son’s father, for the family, so that we can be at peace. All I want is closure.
“It’s hard, but we will get there.”
