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Monica Bodden visited today where she found that fragile gang truce in serious rupture:

Monica Bodden Reporting

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"A truce was agreed. It was a history breakthrough, and I am happy to tell you that there has been no gang-related murder since."

An hour after these words were uttered by the Prime Minister's a 9 year old child was shot dead in his neighborhood.

It happened on Victoria Street - a little after one o'clock yesterday afternoon. 9 year old Joshua Abraham -a Standard 2 student of Ebenezer primary school - an a well-loved little boy from around his neighborhood was standing on the sidewalk in front of his home on Victoria street - when two men rode pass on separate bicycles into New Road and randomly began to open fire.

One of the bullets penetrated the young child's left ribcage - which caused him to die just minutes later. Little Joshua had just come back from seeing the 21st Independence Day Parade.

Marcia Arguelles - Mother of Joshua Abraham
"I wasn't feeling well; I had the flu. And they are already used to me taking them to see the parade right at the lane, not far. And I told them that I wasn't going that morning, because I wasn't feeling good, and the son was hot. So he got up; he is a little man. He takes care of himself, and he said, 'Well, I want to go, mommy.'And I told him he could go. He said, 'Well I will iron my own clothes.' And he took it out and asked, 'Can I used it?' I told him yes, if that was what he wanted to wear. And he ironed it, and he went to bathe. He said that he wouldn't put on any tennis. He said that he was going to put on his 'crocks' I told him that he could put it on. I asked him if he brushed his teeth. He watched me and said that he hadn't. I told him to go brush his teeth. I then told him to take a $5 that was there. He left, and that was the last."

That was the last time she saw her 9 year old son alive.

Marcia Arguelles
"He went to the parade. As my sister came back I asked her if she saw him and she told me, 'Yes, he was right beside my brother standing up.' When he finished - well you know kids. It's a day where everyone was enjoying themselves. He didn't come straight in. He was right out there. But right at the neighbor, they were playing music. And my sister said, 'Look at Joshua. He is dancing.' He was right there dancing. And the man told me that he played the song, 'Delilah'. And he was dancing to it. I just turn around and I had intentions of going to bathe. We had some visitors, who were coming over, so I was trying to hurry up and finish. Before I could even get into my room door, I heard the shots, and I know that my baby was out there. And I heard my son shout, Mom! Mom!' All I did was I jumped and went to the window, and I shouted 'Josh! Josh!' And I saw my baby running, and he only could have run to that house. And I wasn't sure if he was shot or frightened. I shouted 'Josh! Josh!' And I heard my neighbors screaming, and before I could turn around, I heard them say, 'Miss Marcia, your little boy got shot!' I ran out of the house; I lose everything. By the time I got out here. Two guys already had him in a vehicle. I just jumped in and we left. By they time we reached there, my baby was gone. His chest - it was like the whole of here was bursting. All over his face - I wasn't sure if he got shot in the face, because his face was filled with blood. It was like he was bleeding all over. The nurses don't know my sons, and they were crying. People in the hospital who were there for sickness, they were screaming. God gave him to me, and I know that he is with God. He is my angel."

Shelmadine McCauley is little Joshua's neighbor... She was sitting outside at the time of the shooting. Terrified and still shaken by what happened, she told us what she remembered.

Shelmadine McCauley - Neighbor
"I was sitting on the lady's verandah over there. I saw the little boy at the middle of the street. His grandmother sent him - a little old man was lying down on. She sent him to buy something for the man thinking that he was hungry. So his granny was sending him to check on the little old man. I saw him standing up and watching the old man when the shots went off. When they fired the shots, I told the little boy, 'Run Joshua! Run!' He stood up at the middle of the street. He held his head and bawled, 'Mommy!' right. And when he screamed, I told him 'Run Josh! Run!' And he ran into the house and fell into the boy's hand. When I looked, I saw them bringing him out. He was bleeding through his mouth and through his nose. This has to stop because there were a lot of little children around here. It is not us feeling, It is not them (the gunmen) feeling. It's these little kids who are 9. He was the sweetest little boy that they ever took from around here. It hurts. It's not my child, but it's my neighbor's child. That hurts, and they have to stop. Police has to do something, the Prime Minister - whosoever - have to do something, because this went too far now. His father has nothing to do with this. Whatever his father is, has nothing to do with this."

Voice of: neighbor
"Yes, he ran from across the street, after the gunshots. I didn't know that he was already shot. And he ran straight into this young lady's house, where I was at, sitting down and eating some food. He just ran to me and grabbed me, and this little boy and I play everyday before he goes to school in the morning. And in the evening, he comes and plays with me. And when he came and grabbed me, I told him to get down on the ground to see - I thought the gunshots were coming in here. So when I told him to get on the ground, I didn't know that he already got shot. When I looked at my hands, I saw a large amount of blood pouring down when he was holding me. I realized and I shouted for one of my friends, and he came and assisted me. We took him out of the house, and put him in one of my friend's vehicle. My friend, his mother, and I took him to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, and I left him at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. And when his mother came back from hospital, she told me that he died."

Monica Bodden
"On the way to the hospital, did he say anything to you?"

Voice of: neighbor
"He didn't say anything at all, but he was still breathing. I was trying to nudging him to get him conscious, because he was in a shock. I didn't work, he was just breathing."

Monica Bodden
"I understand that he was a well-loved little boy from around this neighborhood."

Voice of: neighbor
"He was loved."

Monica Bodden
"How hard is it for you as a neighbor to actual pick up this little boy, that you see everyday going to school, see his life taken from him so senselessly?"

Voice of: neighbor
"I still can't believe it because the way I think about it, is that he is still here in front of me. He always played with me to the extent that that I feel like he was like my own child. I feel it that much because he is a close neighbor to me. It feels very hard for me, because I couldn't believe that he would be gone just like that. He didn't have a chance to go through school and be who he wanted to be. It's just hard."

Monica Bodden
"So there is nothing that you guy could have done to save little Josh?"

Voice of: neighbor
"Nothing at all, this is straight to the heart."

The murder of this innocent child has left this entire neighborhood saddened and angry at society's disintegration.

Shelmadine McCauley
"What will happen after this is that we will not be able to walk and go anywhere. We have to look out for our neighbor's children. This is all just foolishness that they did. They took away a nice little boy from us. That was foolishness."

Marcia Arguelles
"And the person knows - that trigger man, like they call him on the street - know who he is, and I need to see him. I am not talking about revenge - revenge is for God. I grew up in a Christian home, and I know who is God. Revenge is for God. I don't want no one to do anything thing. I just want to bury my baby in peace because that - he is not a man; I can't call him a man - that animal that shot my baby tore my family apart. My dad raised my two sons - his grandsons - like his own. My dad - I have to be watching him. He used to follow his grampa everywhere. Everybody around her knows that he is his grandfather's side-kick. I just want to see him. I just want to watch him in his face, and I want to tell him - I don't want to ask him any question - I just want to tell what he has done to me and my family - to his brother. I put my son to sleep last. I held him like a baby, and I put him to sleep. And he said, 'Mommy, I will not see my brother anymore.' I told him, 'Yes, we will see him again. We just have to live the way God wants us to live, and we will see him Joshua again, because he is with God."

For his 12 year old Brother CJ - he has lost his best friend.

Marcia Arguelles
"He cries a lot, and he just says, 'Mommy, I didn't see my brother.' I know what he means, he means that he wasn't there, and he couldn't help him. Everywhere you see one, you see the next one. They are everything to me, everything. I am fighting with them, and my neighbors can tell you that I was trying to get Joshua to be a humble young man. I did everything. Anybody who knows - and he sticks to me, everywhere I turn. Anybody who knows Marcia, knows CJ and Joshua."

The funeral arrangements have not been finalized for the standard two student. And while the child was a blameless victim, his relatives have connections to the George Street Gang, and it is feared that the incident could spark a wider retaliation. We stress, could.

Joshua Abraham becomes the third juvenile in two years to die as a result of rival groups feuding in the city, joining 8 year olds Eyannie Nunez and Marquis Mahler.

In a disturbing historical parallel, 8 year old Eyanie Nunez was killed almost exactly two years ago On September 12, 2010.