PHILIPSBURG:--- One of the two suspects that were involved in the Ore Diamante robbery and ultimate shooting of Officer Gamali Benjamin basically grew up in the streets of St. Maarten, mainly in the Sucker Garden area. Well placed information provided to SMN News states that the suspect that is currently nursing gunshot wounds at the St. Maarten Medical Centre has been identified as Richie who is well known to police. A source close to the suspect said that the parents of Richie and his brother abandoned them when they were very young. The two youths who were born on St. Maarten of Haitian decent has no identity as they are not registered on the island other than having a birth certificate. SMN News was told that the two youngsters grew up sleeping in cars while stealing from supermarkets and committing robberies to survive. SMN News learnt that the children mother left them with their father and went away to neighboring Guadeloupe and their father also abandoned them shortly after.
While, these two youngsters are well known in the Sucker Garden community no one in the area or government did anything to assist them. On several occasions they were told that they will be shipped back to Haiti even though they have no travel documents or knows nothing about Haiti. Further information provided to SMN News states that the two young men did not really attend school for a long period. While “Richie” is known to police and has a criminal record he is also a rapper who tried to express his pain through song. SMN News further learnt that Richie aka Kilo Gotti is very bitter towards the police because each time he is seen or arrested by police he is allgedly brutalized by police. "Can you imagine youths that are born on St. Maarten cannot participate in the country they know as home and because they have no one to represent or guide them they are left to become what they are now. Kilo Gotti has a brother who took his past situation differently and has sought the help of well known St. Maarteners who assisted him in getting a Haitian passport but he too cannot find work or participate in St. Maarten community. According to the information SMN News recieved is that the brother tried getting Kilo Gotti out of the neighborhood gang but was unsucessful.
SMN News has found out more about the suspect in custody. The 23 year old goes by the name Kilo Gotti a rapper part of the popular rap group on the island Bush Boys. Kilo Gotti is 23 years old and was shot in the stomach and left leg by police on Wednesday. SMN has obtained the video of the rapper who openly talked about not liking the police. The video in which SMN News found shows the suspect cutting marijuana.
While police are busy hunting down the second suspect, persons have identified the second suspect as “Benjamin” also of the Sucker Garden area. Police has described the suspect to be armed and dangerous and has called on the community to stay far from the suspect if he is spotted anywhere on St. Maarten.
Parents of Keshawm Akeem Carty said that they have contacted the police and were told that they have no interest in their son. The family said police told them their son is not wanted by them and that he is not a person of interest. Instead they said they are indeed looking for an Akeem Carty but not the one that was published in this article. SMN News apololizes for the mistaken identity.
