“I’m waiting for justice. It’s been four years.”So said grieving Beetham Gardens matriarch Nicole Richards after staging a candlelight vigil in the vicinity of Republic Bank at the corner of Chacon Street and Independence Square in memory of her son Fabien Richards who was killed by police on Saturday, July 2, 2022.

DEAD: Fabien Richards never got a chance to meet his daughter, Soria John, now three years old.

Richards, 21, was shot along with his friends Isaiah Roberts, 24, and Leonardo Williams, 17, while returning home from a farewell party in Diego Martin. Roberts and Richards were inseparable in life.Referring to crime and violence pervading the society, Richards also called for the resignation of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard and is adamant both national security ministers Roger Alexander (Homeland Security) and Wayne Sturge (Defence Minister) should be immediately removed. During the vigil, about 20 people lit white candles. Among those who showed solidarity to the affected families was Alyssa Phillip, who has led several protests demanding answers as to why her friend Kaia Sealy was slapped with charges in connection with the death of her husband, Joshua Samaroo, during a police-involved shooting in January.BackgroundIn the aftermath of the tragedy that took the lives of Richards and his friends, a media release from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) had stated all three individuals who were detained after the police-involved fatal shooting were released, pending further investigations.It had said the three were interviewed and statements recorded by lead investigator, Senior Supt Neil Brandon-John. According to the police report, around 3 a.m. on that Saturday, July 2, 2022, officers of the Western Division, responding to a report of motor vehicle larceny, attempted to intercept a white Toyota Aqua with six occupants in the Port of Spain district. During the chase, the vehicle proceeded to turn south along Chacon Street, but crashed into a wall outside Republic Bank on Independence Square. Officers of the Guard and Emergency Branch, who also joined the pursuit, allegedly came under fire from the occupants of the vehicle and returned fire in the direction of the car. Three of the occupants, Isaiah Roberts, Leonardo Brandon Williams, and Fabien Richards, died on the scene.A fourth teenager was taken to Port of Spain General Hospital for treatment.The two others were not injured and were detained. Police claimed a Smith & Wesson pistol was found in the vehicle.Tragic loss of two sonsIn a phone interview with the Sunday Express on Friday, Richards, a mother of four, said: “It’s painful because we are not getting the justice we want. After investigator Brandon John died, it seems as though the investigation went cold with him. We are not hearing anything about it. We will not stop until we get justice. We want justice for the three boys. I want justice for my son Fabien.”Reliving the ordeal, she said: “Six of them were in the car. Three died and three survived. One of the survivors got shot in his hand. They were coming from a farewell party. My son would have been 25.”She also said she had to face the “heartbreak” of losing her son Garth Richards, after he was hit by a bus in 2014. She draws strength and sustenance from her daughters Nicola and Isoma Richards and Almighty God.An emotional Richards said she was haunted knowing her son had never met his baby girl Soria John, three.She said: “His baby is three. A little sweetheart. She knows her daddy died. She knows he’s in heaven. When I look at her, I keep pleading for justice.”Asked to share her sentiments on the crime and murders, she said: “I believe the DPP and the Ministers of National Security Roger Alexander and Wayne Sturge should step down. A state of emergency is not stopping crime. I don’t dabble in politics. But it’s almost every day you are hearing an innocent person died. When I hear somebody died at the hands of the police, I wonder who is next.”She added: “My son got ten shots in his head. Execution style. Still they want to say ‘My son had a gun’. The children were on their way home. Fabien was talking to his cousin on the way home. We want justice. They need to get rid of the corrupt ones who hold high office. It’s not right. It can’t be right in the eyes of God and man.”Sharing her favourite memories of him, she said her son used to hold her calves and dance behind her. “He would act as if he was a cur coming after me. A cute little dog going ‘bow bow. He tried to scare me. I thought he might bite me. But he would cling to my calf and dance with me. Such tender mother/son moments.”She reminisced that he “loved corned beef and rice and corned beef and pasta. He loved making you tube videos. He was loving child”.She also thanked Phillip for her support.Sister mourns baby brotherBig sister Nicola Richards confessed to “mourning her baby brother like her son”. He had spent considerable time with her at her El Socorro home.Speaking by phone with the Sunday Express on Friday Nicola said she feels no different today compared to the same day news was received of her brother’s death.“My heart still hurts. The pain is still fresh. But then there is so much happening with crime. Every day you hear horror stories. People being killed. Children murdered. Teenagers missing. You see his scenario being replayed in your head over and over. It’s not easy,” she said.She added: “He (Fabien) lived here with us since he had attended primary school. He was like my son. He grew up with my son Nicholai. They were brothers. He had a spiritual mother at St John’s Spiritual Baptist Church, Arouca. He had three mothers who mourned him.”Repeating the call for justice, she said “only God can give justice because he sees and knows everything. He would have seen what unfolded in the car. He would have heard their cries”.Her favourite memory of her younger brother was her last birthday with him, on November 25, 2021. “We had a games night. We played musical chairs. We were the last two people standing. We had so much fun,” she recalled.She has been sharing some of her love with niece Soria whom she described as “a darling” who spends weekends with the family.