On Christmas day a 15 year old fell and died while running from police. Stephan Ovado lives in the PIV area of Lake Independence - and right now there's beef between that gang and a rival group. So, on Sunday when he and his friends heard the police coming, they did what they always do; the ran away to avoid being detained for the holidays. That's when he fell and died - some say it was a heart attack.
His father told us today that he never could have expected such an end to a day that he had spent mostly with family:..
Mario Ovado, Stephan's Dad
"He was conversing with his friends right in front of the yard here, but due to a rise in violence with the rival gangs the GSU Unit were patrolling even on Christmas, so the guys didn't want to get locked up because they will not let them go even if they were not doing anything. When the unit was patrolling, the guys ran and they jump a fence behind my house to get on the adjacent street; Berry Street. He was with them, they ran and jumped the fence on Berry Street and as he reached the street he collapse and they tried to revive him, but he did not respond."
"I got the message about 10 minutes after these guys ran through my yard. They came and tell me that my son catch a fit on the other street, so I hurry got my vehicle and I went to see what was transpiring and I found him there. I put him in the vehicle and I try to get him to the hospital as quick as possible. Once I was there I tried to take him out of the vehicle and he was lifeless. I didn't see him breathing or anything. The doctors they tried their best; they pump him, they gave him two adrenalin shots and he didn't respond. The doctor told me that he is already gone."
Jules Vasquez reporting
It's a most unexpected end for a physically active teenager. He had been working on a demanding work programme for CISCO, manually spreading loads of sand on Chetumal Street:
Mario Ovado, Stephan's Dad
"If you go ask anybody back there, he is one of the highest paid because he is there early and last one leaving. The last pay cheque he collected was for $310.00."
Jules Vasquez
"Thats how much per load? That is like 31 loads"
Mario Ovado, Stephan's Dad
"He try to catch every load."
Jules Vasquez
"Did he as far as you know have any congenital heart defect?"
Mario Ovado, Stephan's Dad
"Not that I know of. I brought him from the hospital 1998 and he hasn't return since until now that he is there. I think he figured out before anyone that he wasn't going to be here very long because from a young age he started doing a lot of speeding; he wants to do everything early. He told me when he was in Standard 4 that he wasn't feeling school, he didn't want to go to school through the beatings, the scolding, everything I did and still - he reached Standard 6 and he didn't want to go anymore. He wanted to work from he was in Standard 4; he wanted girlfriends, he wanted to do everything that grown people do. I always use to tell him to slow down because he has his whole life. But then I am seeing the big picture now, maybe he knew something that we didn't or that I didn't."
"Yesterday was my birthday. With friends and family and very good friends I will make it through and hopefully I see him again, after life or whatever after this. He was my baby, he still is my baby. He will be missed by everyone because he is very loving."
The cause of death is not known at this time, but a post mortem is scheduled for Sunday. His father says that once or twice Stephan had complained to him about a tightness in his chest, but apart from that he was healthy and physically active.
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