Shiva Boys footballer killed on his 16th birthday

[Tallman]

Shiva Boys footballer killed on his 16th birthday
By Susan Mohammed (T&T Express)

Noah Simmons got up on his 16th birthday today, stepped outside his home, and was shot dead.

The killing happened in a squatting settlement along an old train line at Union Park East Marabella at around 8a.m.

Simmons was a fourth form pupil of the Shiva Boys College at Clarke Road Penal, and a member of the school's successful football team.

He played in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Under 16 competition in 2017 and was a member of the school's Under 14 SSFL national championship team.

However, the Express was told he had only attended school a few times since the start of the new term because of the family's financial difficulties.

Simmons and his brother lived with their grandmother Lystra Simmons.

She told the Express that he got out of bed at around 8a.m and she wished him a happy birthday.

The grandmother said Simmons went out the front door and sat on the steps.

There was an explosion and when the woman checked, Simmons was found bleeding from a wound to the chest.

The Express was told that Simmons frequent visited the Marabella Family Crisis Centre located nearby and was there up to 9p.m on Monday.

Family say he was also attempting to raise funds to go to Brazil as part of a football team.

There was no immediate motive for the killing.

[Cocorite]

Heart breaking. Condolences to the family and loved ones.

Heavenly Father. Please let justice be done. In Jesus name.

[Tallman]

‘We must do better as a society’ – Pro League CEO condemns killing of youth footballer Noah Simmons
ttproleague.com

“Noah celebrated his 16th birthday today and it is truly worrisome and unacceptable when a minor can be taken away so violently,” said Pro League CEO Julia Baptiste, condemning the killing of youth footballer Noah Simmons.

“We must do better as a society,” continued the distraught Baptiste. “Noah was a young budding footballer with a lot of potential.”

Simmons, who woke up to his 16th birthday today, was fatally shot this morning outside his home in an area known as Train Line in Marabella.

Simmons was a former Club Sando youth player and this year represented Central FC under adopted Anthony Sherwood Football Academy in the Under-16 division of the Flow Youth Pro League.

Club Sando Under-14 head coach Wayne Caesar also expressed his deepest condolences.

“I am not sure of the circumstances but it is never a good feeling to hear of someone dying in that manner,” said the ex-Simmons coach.

“He (Simmons) was earmarked to be a national player. I had hoped he would develop into one of the top players of Trinidad and Tobago. When I had him at Under-13 level he was the main goalscorer and can play well in any position—on the wing, in defence, in the middle, forward—and even played in goal for us.

Simmons was also a fourth form student at Shiva Boys Hindu College. Last year he represented the Shiva Boys at the 2017 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) Under-16 division and was a member of the school’s Under-14 SSFL team.

The Chairman, Board of directors, Chief Executive Officer and staff of the TT Pro League express deepest condolences to the family of youth footballer Noah Simmons.

[Deeks]

Sad, so friggin sad. RIP.

[soccerman]

RIP young man, too many young lives are lost to these senseless killings.

[vb]

No words.

RIP Yute. 

VB

[Deeks]

Imagine that?? Trini  effing dad reach that point?

[Tallman]

Death over small talk...Boy, 16, killed for speaking with girl
By Sharlene Rampersad (T&T Newsday)

EAGER to play football as he celebrated his 16th birthday yesterday, Noah Simmons woke up early and went across to his cousin’s house for a cup of tea.

It was there a man met him shortly after 8am and warned him to stop speaking to a girl from the community.

Noah, a Form Four student of the Shiva Boys’ Hindu College, told the man, “It’s not that serious, I talk to everybody.”

In response, the man pulled out a gun, told Noah, “Yuh want to see how serious it is?” and shot him dead.

The man then casually walked off, firing off two more rounds before he disappeared on the Line in Marabella.

The exchange was heard by several eyewitnesses who reported seeing the man walking away from Noah’s body. One eyewitness told the Newsday the man made no attempt to hide the gun used in the murder.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the eyewitness said Noah’s murder stemmed from jealousy.

“Them other boys don’t go to school or do anything with their life and Noah was going to a good school, he was playing football and because he was a good-looking boy, plenty girls used to talk to him,” the witness said. “The girl he get kill for used to pass and hail him out sometimes. He was never in anything with the girl.

“He kill the boy over stupidness, he was jealous of Noah.”

Noah’s grandmother Lystra Simmons told Newsday she was in her kitchen when she heard the first gunshot.

She said she and her family have lived in Union Park East, Gopaul Circular Drive, Marabella, for 40 years.

“I woke up this morning, told Noah, ‘Happy birthday,’ and he told me he was going to the Crisis Centre to play football today,” Simmons recalled. “He said he was going by his cousin for a cup of tea, and I told him okay.”

Minutes later, she heard the gunshot, saw Noah slumped on the staircase through a window, and ran outside.

As she watched undertakers remove Noah’s body, a trembling Simmons said too many young men in the community are turning to guns.

“They fire off shots all hours of the day and night like it is some kind of game. I ask someone the other day if they trying to shoot the moon out of the sky. It didn’t have any reason for him to shoot my grandson. Noah never interfere with anybody.”

Noah’s parents were both in Tobago yesterday and Simmons said his mother was preparing to come home.

The second of eight children, he was remembered as a loving, joyful child. Simmons said he played football for his school and the Marabella Family Crisis Centre.

Simmons said her son, Damien Simmons, was also gunned down on his birthday, January 30, 2017.

Insp Don Gajadhar and other homicide officers visited. Gajadhar said police were told Noah was killed over a girl, and investigators were searching for a suspect from the area who is believed to be in his late teens.

Police found three spent shells at the scene.

Noah’s body was taken to the Forensic Science Centre, where an autopsy is expected to be done today.

[Tallman]

Footballer killed on 16th birthday
By Kevon Felmine (T&T Guardian)

Shiva Boys Hindu College footballer Noah Simmons had planned to spend his birthday at the Marabella Family Crisis Centre, where he and the forgotten youths of the old train line community sought refuge from crime and the hardship of poverty.

But with an upsurge of guns in the hands of youths in the slums of Union Park East, Marabella, he did not get to celebrate his 16th birthday as he was allegedly shot dead by a friend.

For Simmons’ family, however, it was deja vu, as his uncle Damian Simmons was also gunned down on his birthday in January 2017. Simmons’ 17-year-old brother was also shot in the shin on his birthday last October.

Standing at the scene of his brother’s murder, Simmons’ surviving brother, whose name is being withheld for his safety, told the T&T Guardian the same friend who shot Simmons also shot him for no reason. Still rattled by the trauma of that event, the teen said his brother’s killer boasted to him of taking a life.

“He (killer) walked up by my house and fired shots in the air and when I ran outside, he came up and told me that he just shot my brother. I ran down here and saw my brother stretched out on the step, dead,” the teen said.

Police said around 8 am, Simmons was sitting at the front of his cousin’s home when the suspect came up to him. It is believed that old talk turned into an argument and the suspect shot him in the right side of his chest and walked off. As the suspect walked away, he fired a few more shots in the air. Investigators were told Simmons had been holding the gun mere seconds before he was killed with it.

Last December, Simmons’ cousin, Isaiah Simmons, 15, was killed in a shootout with police after he and two others robbed a house in the area. During that shootout, PC Anand Ram was also shot.

Simmons’ grandmother Lystra Simmons told the T&T Guardian that he woke up around 6 am and went to his cousin’s home next door to have breakfast. After eating, Lystra said he sat at the front door and the suspect came and started a casual conversation.

Lystra was at home when gunshots rang out but didn’t think her grandson had been killed. Like many of the concerned residents in the community, she said there had been an increase of “trigger happy” young men with guns, who would walk along the road firing shots in the air.

Simmons also played football with the Marabella Family Crisis Centre and was expected to spend some time there with his friends. CEO Terrence Bossiere said they had planned a surprise, but while waiting for Simmons he got a text message saying the teen had been killed.

“Noah lived between here and his grandmother’s home. Youths in the community, like everywhere else, need that guidance and there are those who listen and come to our empowerment programme, which we use as a vehicle against drugs and social ills,” Bossier said.

A member said the centre served as a refuge for several youths of the area, as they would be fed and given a place to sleep whenever they needed. Saying the youth were interested in living good and honest lives, the members said it was a constant battle to keep them away from guns, drugs and the thugs in the area.

Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee said he met Simmons while campaigning in 2015 and was saddened another life was lost to gun violence.

Lee said: “After I became MP I would always see him and kept talking to him to stay focused on his dream of becoming a successful footballer. I was happy when he was transferred to Shiva Boys’ College to play football for that school.

“Whatever was the circumstances of his killing I am sad, as another young life has been lost to the gunman! Where are we going as a society? I am at a lost for words.”

Police have identified the suspect but said they have also been searching for him for weeks in relation to other gun offences. But residents said the suspect lives in Ste Madeleine and frequents their area because he has a girlfriend there. However, they said his life took a turn for the worse in 2009 when his mother, a state witness, was abducted while leaving a San Fernando nightclub and murdered. She had been under police protection at a safe house in Tobago but left on a flight to Trinidad to attend a party.

[Tallman]

Football fraternity mourns death of young footballer
T&T Newsday

HAYDEN RYAN, coach of 2017 Intercol champions Shiva Boys Hindu College, has expressed his sympathy and offered condolences to the family of student Noah Simmons, who was gunned down on his 16th birthday, at his Train Line, Marabella home on Tuesday morning.

Simmons was a member of Shiva Boys’ Under-16 team during the 2017 season.

Ryan said, “It’s a sad thing when a youth could lose his life at the age of 16.

“It’s a sad time, not only because of his footballing talent, but we lose a life, one too much.”

Ryan said Simmons would have progressed to their Premiership Division squad this year.

“This season (2018) is the season he would have been training with us.

“Unfortunately, he is with us no more.

“Condolences to all the connecting personnel, everybody who is connected to him.”

Also offering condolences to Simmons’ family was William Wallace, president of the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL).

In a media release, Wallace said, “It is with deep shock and great sorrow that we express our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, fellow teammates and his school community.

“We will continue to do our best in the fight against violence in every area of our society and, of course, continue to play our part through sport to support and contribute to the development and well-being of our young citizens of TT,” Wallace ended.

Pro League CEO Julia Baptiste on Tuesday condemned the murder of Simmons, saying, “It is truly worrisome and unacceptable when a minor can be taken away so violently.”

“We must do better as a society,” continued the distraught Baptiste. “Noah was a young budding footballer with a lot of potential.”

Club Sando Under-14 head coach Wayne Caesar also expressed his deepest condolences.

“I am not sure of the circumstances but it is never a good feeling to hear of someone dying in that manner,” said the ex-Simmons coach.

“He (Simmons) was earmarked to be a national player. I had hoped he would develop into one of the top players of Trinidad and Tobago.

When I had him at Under-13 level he was the main goalscorer and can play well in any position — on the wing, in defence, in the middle, forward and even played in goal for us.”

[Tallman]

I forgive you: Mother of murdered Noah tells killer
By Shalrene Rampersad (T&T Newsday)

ANEIASHA BLACKBURN says she has forgiven the man who killed her son Noah Simmons on his 16th birthday last week.

At her sister’s Bayshore, Marabella home yesterday, Blackburn told Newsday forgiveness did not come easy to her. Noah, a Form Four student of the Shiva Boys’ Hindu College was murdered on Tuesday morning, while sitting on the front steps of his uncle’s Union Park East, Marabella home in an area known as The Line. The killer is still on the run from police.

Noah was buried on Saturday after a service at Guide’s Funeral Home in Couva. He was lauded as an excellent football player, who played for both his school and the Marabella Family Crisis Centre.

Yesterday, 33-year-old Blackburn said although she has lived in Tobago for the past three years, she has always kept in close contact with her children who live in Trinidad.

Three of her eight sons live with her. She is eight months pregnant with her ninth child.

“I came here with a vengeance on Tuesday but my sister sat me down and talked to me and calmed me down. It’s hard to accept that somebody killed your child, but as humans we have to learn how to forgive. It really hard for me to forgive but I don’t want to carry that load on my shoulders, so I forgive the person who killed my child.”

She said the killer is a lost soul who needs to come to the realisation that he has taken a life.

“He is probably in a daze by himself studying what he did. I forgive him and I hope one day he could come to some kind of realisation to himself and find it in his heart to give up himself to the police and try to reconcile with himself. And whether he gets 50 or 60 years (in prison), try to make peace with yourself .”

She said she met the man who allegedly shot Noah dead when she visited her eldest son who was ill last year.

“I saw him last October. He gave me a bottle of water, and when I told him I didn’t want to stay too long because I know people get shot on The Line, he told me don’t worry he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

She will mark her 34th birthday on Friday with a heavy heart.

“I am trying to stay calm because of my pregnancy. But anytime I am alone, I just break down and cry. I think if he had died under different circumstances I would have been able to accept it easier. If he was living the life of a gangster, I would have felt it but I would have accepted it knowing that was what he chose.”

She hopes the legacy of hard work and persistence Noah left behind can be a catalyst for change in his community.

“I think my child died to open the eyes of the ghetto youths, to show them it is real. Change around your life, do something with your life. He touched a lot of people and he left a great legacy and I really hope it could show the youths that you can really accomplish things in life. Not because you live in a ‘bad’ place or you come from a ‘bad’ place, should you let that hold you back.”

[Tallman]

Public tries to help catch killer
By Sharlene Rampersad (T&T Newsday)

Although members of the public have been giving police information on the whereabouts of the man who is believed to have shot 16-year-old Noah Simmons dead, the man continues to evade officers.

A senior police officer told Newsday that investigating officers have received numerous tip-offs, with the latest coming in yesterday.

“We received information that he was travelling in a car from Pleasantville to Marabella and teams were dispatched to locate the vehicle and find him but the officers were unsuccessful,” the senior said.

Last week, again acting on a tip-off, officers raided several homes in Pleasantville where they believed the man was hiding.

Simmons, a footballer, was killed on May 8, the day of his 16th birthday, while sitting on the front steps of his uncle’s Union Park East, Marabella home in the area known as ‘The Line.’

The killer is believed to be in his late teens or early 20’s and is also from Marabella.

There have been several rumors circulating about the man’s motive to murder young Noah, including that Noah was warned not to interact with the man’s girlfriend.

[Tallman]

Memorial Event for Noah Simmons
MFCC Media

The Marabella Family Crisis Centre and friends will be hosting a memorial football event in recognition of the tragic murder of Noah Simmons at Manny Ramjohn Stadium on Saturday 26th May 2018.

Noah was a talented young footballer living in Marabella, who had never come to the attention of the police.

He attended - and played for – Shiva Boys Hindu School as well as representing Central F.C. in the Flow Youth Pro League through his association with the Anthony Sherwood Football Academy.

Noah was a regular attendee of the Marabella Family Crisis Centre and spent many happy hours playing football at Manny Ramjohn Stadium. Noah was gunned down on the morning of his 16 th birthday. No motive has been determined.

The purpose of the event is to bring the Marabella community – and, indeed the entire T&T community - together to promote the messages “Shoot Goals, Not Guns” and “Join A Team, Not A Gang”. This will be a day for the community to promote peace using the medium of football. All Pro League clubs will submit two players to form an All Star Pro League team to play the National Under 20 team. Prior to this game, we will stage a game between Shiva Boys and the Marabella Family Crisis Centre and friends.

Admission to the event will be $20, with kids aged 5-16 paying $5. Children under 5 will be admitted free.

The organisers are appealing companies to obtain free snack and drink product to sell on the day.

Additionally, they will be selling advertising boards around the field.

The entire amount raised through this event will be donated to Marabella Family Crisis Centre in memory of Noah Simmons.

The first game between Shiva Boys and Marabella Family Crisis Centre will kick off at 2pm. It will be 30 mins each half. The feature game between the T&T Pro League All Stars and the National Under 20’s will commence at 3.30pm and consist of 2 X 45 minutes halves.

“We are hoping to attract a big crowd to support this event” said Anthony Sherwood, who is one of the event organisers. Noah was a regular attendee at Sherwood’s football academy, as well as the Marabella Family Crisis Centre. “This is not just a football event.” Added Sherwood. “I believe this tragedy could become a catalyst for communities to stand up to crime in their areas.”

Another of the organisers, Kevin Harrison of Central F.C. said “We must stress that this event will be nonpolitical, as it is about the community putting aside race, religion and politics and join together to create peace in our communities. It will fall nicely into a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme and, we are hoping that businessmen will get behind this event and offer monetary or product donations.”

Harrison said that all proceeds will go to the Marabella Family Crisis Centre. “We’re not looking for huge headline sponsors. It’s more important to us to see corporate T&T coming together to oppose crime, with lots of companies contributing whatever they can to raise funds for the Crisis Centre.”

Sherwood, an outstanding football prodigy in his youth, added “People don’t realise just how much good work is carried out by Terry Boissiere and the rest of the team there. They don’t just coach football. The Centre offers a safe haven to those people in the community who may be at risk. They offer counselling services, provide mentorship and role models and, in some instances, provide a family network to those who need it”

The organisers have been pleased with the support received so far, and gave thanks to the TTFA, T&T Pro League, Shiva Boys Hindu School, referee, Rashbie McPhee and SPORTT for their assistance.

“We have received a good response on our Noah Simmons Memorial Event facebook page and interest from companies we have spoken with. Without doubt, the football community has come together to make this event happen. We expect a crowd of at least 1,500 to attend on the day, with the Marabella community attending to express their grief for Noah and their opposition to the crime situation in the country. But we are hoping that people attend from right across the country and make this an event that the government takes note of.”

Harrison added that support is still needed from corporate T&T. “We need refreshments such as water and soft drinks, as well as snacks etc. Because all profits go to the Crisis Centre, we are trying to reduce our overheads as much as possible. We’re also hoping that Minister Cudjoe will waive the fees associated with hiring Manny Ramjohn Stadium for the event.”

Gates open at Midday on Saturday with the first match kicking off at 2pm.

To make donations contact Terry on 658-5110 or send a message via the Facebook page.

[soccerman]

Well done Anthony and Kevin, goodluck with the initiative.

[Tallman]

WATCH: Young footballers pay tribute to murdered schoolboy Noah Simmons

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/YbxVUaOHtpk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/YbxVUaOHtpk</a>