The distraught mother of promising student Shaundae Winston Jones broke down and cried yesterday as she said: "When they shot Shaundae, they shot me, too."

Marsha Jones said she felt like her life had come to an end after her only child had been brutally gunned down in the early hours in Dockyard yesterday.

She said since the murder of Tekle Mallory in 2001, and since her son had given evidence at the trial earlier this year, she had constantly feared for his safety.

She said her 20-year-old son was sweet-natured, bright and very loving and in no way deserved to have his life snuffed out so cruelly.

"Oh God, I feel like my whole life has just ended," said the 49-year-old mother, of Smith's Avenue, Warwick.

"My immediate family is very small. It was just me, my mother and Shaundae, and we were very close. My mother has Alzheimer's, so me and him lived here together. He was my life.

"He was my only child and a very kind boy. They have taken my only child and now I will never be a grandmother and I will never see him get married. They have taken everything from me."

Ms Jones said she first became aware of her son's dire situation soon before 3 a.m. yesterday when she got a call from Shaundae's long-time girlfriend, Anthonea DeSilva, saying he had been shot, but that he would be alright.

She said she got dressed and made her way to the hospital, where she expected to see her son alive.

However, she said having worked at the hospital previously for 18 months, she knew only too well the proceedure that families went through when they were to be given bad news.

"I know the routine so well, so when they took me to a room where they tell families something is seriously wrong, I couldn't believe it," added Ms Jones.

"A doctor and a nurse came in and told me he was gone. I used to say to him all the time, `Shaundae be careful because you could be another Tekle'. Now, at 20 years, it's all said and done."

She said the bullet had entered one side of Shaundae's chest, gone through his heart and out the other side.

But Ms Jones said when she went to identify her son's body, he looked very peaceful.

"I touched him and he felt so soft, and I called to him `Shaundae, it's mommy, wake up'. But he was gone."

The grieving mother said her son had graduated from Bermuda Institute in 2000 and she had then sent him to technical college in Rhode Island.

However, she said, being a single mother, she found it a financial strain, and after a year, Shaundae said he would return to the Island and finish his studies in air conditioning at Bermuda College.

In May, he was to begin a summer job at Bermuda Air Conditioning, and Ms Jones said both she and her son were looking forward to him making his own way in life.

"I tried my best to groom him and guide him the right way," she added. "He knew what was right. He never disrespected me. Shaundae loved clothes and took his grooming seriously - he had to have his hair cut every week. But he was kind and very thoughtful about others.

"He was a polite, well spoken boy. I was so proud when he graduated, and he was proud because he had been chosen as the Parliamentarian of his class, leading his class into graduation. He had so much to live for, but they have taken it away from him. I now wish Shaundae had stayed away at school. This Island is getting so bad - it seems they are better off away."

Ms Jones said she pitied the person who had killed her son, and his family, and said the community, particularly parents, needed to get a grip on the Island's young people.

She said too many were not well educated, and too few were given the love and attention from parents they needed.

That is why, she believed, there was so much violence among young people.

She added: "I think a lot of these children are illiterate. They feel that by pulling guns and knives and fighting makes them superior.

"Who ever did this is a troubled young man. I don't know what life did to him to make him so angry, but what ever he was angry about, it was not enough to take my boy."

The mother said after Tekle Mallory was killed in 2001, and Shaundae's best friend Jahni Bean had been implicated in the murder, she spoke to her son and told him to do the right thing.

She said her son had always been prepared to put himself on the line for others, which upset her, but said on this occasion, he knew that lies would only lead to trouble. "After that incident happened, I sat with Shaundae and told him he could not fix the situation for his friend," she went on. "I told him not to lie for his friend, and that Jahni had to fix it for himself because he had to make his own decisions.

"I told him to tell the truth, and that is exactly what he did when he was called to court. The information he had didn't help anyone."

Ms Jones said she did feel that her son's death was related to the Tekle Mallory murder, but said she did not know for sure.

But she said she could not blame any of Shaundae's friends, particularly Jahni Bean. And She said Jahni was not with her son yesterday when he was killed. "Jahni did not kill my son," she added. "He is totally devastated about this. They were such good friends. Jahni was at the hospital with me last night. But if it is to do with the Tekle case, these people don't know anything about the law."

"My son was called as a prosecution witness, not for the defence, and what he had to say was neutral. What he saw did not really help either side. He simply told the truth."

Ms Jones called on young people to stop the violence and urged parents to reach out to their sons and daughters.

But she also appealed to Police and prosecution lawyers to do what was right for her son.

She added: "Don't tell me there is no case to answer this time, and don't tell me there is not enough evidence because I have to bury my boy and live with this for the rest of my life.

"The boy that I made sure was educated and polite, died in such a violent way. He always did right by me, and now people should do right by him."