At the stroke of midnight, a young man’s fate was sealed: he would not live to see the dawn. On Thursday, July 29, at 12:00 midnight, Gilroy Barrow, 18, was mortally wounded when four men accosted him while he was on M-M Street and one began shooting at him.
At a quarter to twelve, Barrow left his mother’s residence in the St. Martin de Porres area with the intention of purchasing something at a nearby Chinese store.
But as Barrow was about to leave the store he was approached by four men, two of whom were on bicycles. One of them fired multiple shots at him, a bullet fatally hitting him in the back of the neck, said police.
Today we visited the Barrow residence and spoke with Barrow’s father.
It is news that he has long been hoping never to receive – his son dead as a result of the persistent and non-ceasing gun violence.
He had big plans, said the father, who did not wish his name mentioned. He said that as a matter of fact, Barrow planned to return home, to live with him. Barrow had two places he called home. His mother and father had separated since he was a child, and he was living with his mother, but yet, he never forsook his father and would often drop by.
Now he wanted to live with his father. Today, his father reminisced about his beloved son, and showed us a room that his son was planning to renovate. Barrow, according to his father, was in the process of moving into the home.
Inside Barrow’s intended bedroom, a red checkered shirt hung on a nail, and his tennis shoes were near a bed frame, and he had already bought two sofa chairs – – all signs that he intended to move in sooner than expected.
We also caught up with his mother and a sister, who also wished to remain anonymous .It couldn’t been a harder blow for his mother, who has just buried one of her daughters about a month and a half ago, to have to deal with the harsh reality that the lifeless body of her eighteen- year-old now lies in the morgue.
The mother could hardly stand, and had some trouble breathing because of the stress. She told us that Borrow had just left her home that night about a quarter to twelve to buy at the Chinese shop. What hurts this mother the most is that Barrow’s last breath was not strong enough to reveal who his killers were.
Gilly Barrow died at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital shortly after being taken there. His mother says that the doctors said that they did all they could to save his life, but there was nothing they could do – Barrow had taken 9 shots.
One of Barrow’s sisters said she just wants justice, that today can’t accept the fact that she will no longer be seeing her younger brother.
“Gilly was a sweet person, he would never disrespect you. If he would get into a quarrel, he would just walk away,” said a family friend.
With death visiting this family for the fourth time for this year, the family says only prayers have kept them strong. They say they need assistance in burying Barrow, because the family is broke. It’s just been too many deaths in a year, we can’t afford it, said the family…We need help!
While moving from his mother’s home to his father’s home, Barrow’s photographs were lost: the family says they don’t have a picture of him.
No arrests have been made, and police say they continue to investigate.