The Christmas weekend was supposed to be peaceful, but with so much merrymaking - the blessed holiday also has a sinister underside of violence and traumatic deaths.  

There are eight of those to report tonight - two, possibly three murders, and five lives lost in traffic accidents.  

We start out west - where the family of 26 year old Roaring Creek resident Errol Smith is in both shock and grief tonight after he was found dead this morning.  He had what appeared to be a gunshot to the head.  Daniel Ortiz has the story:

26 year-old Errol Gabourel Smith’s body was found floating here, near the banks of the River in Roaring Creek. We found pools and stains of blood all along the cement stairs which leads to the river. It is unclear if Smith lost all that blood from the initial attack, or if these spills are the result of his killer or killers trying to dispose of his body in the River. 

Experienced persons in the area tell us that strong current should have carried his body further down, but it appears that these logs may have played a role him being found right here. 

Reports are that persons visiting the riverside early this morning. At the time of today’s bi-weekly police press conference, investigators were still processing the scene, could only confirm that they had found Smith’s body.

ACP Joseph Myvette - Head National Crimes Investigation

“Police are on the scene of a body that was found floating in the creek, somewhere in the Y-WAM area of Roaring Creek, where a dark- skinned male person is seen floating in the river at this time. There are apparent injuries to his head and to his midsection. As soon as the identity is determined, then you will be so informed.â€￾

Reliable sources tell us that Smith had a wound to the head. A resident in the area told the press that the only thing he heard this morning was a gunshot.

Voice of Area Resident

“Probably around 1 in the morning me and one of the guys at freedom house heard the dogs barking then we had one single gunshot that was it right there. A while afterwards we heard the dogs barking again and me and a brother came out to see what was going on but we didn’t see anyone.â€￾

His grandmother says he never came home. She said that she didn’t even realize it until her other grandson asked her to check because he was told that he was murdered. 

Joyce “Happyâ€￾ Armstrong - Grandmother of the Deceased

“I was at home just got up to eat breakfast when my next grandson called me and asked me where is Errol. So I told him Errol slept in. He said you sure, I said yes and let me go check and when I gone and knocked on him room door, he is not in there and the bed fix just like nobody slept there but the night before I find his bike, cap and slippers so I thought he was in the room and when I gone in there he was not in there and he said somebody just called me and told me they kill Errol.â€￾

Smith, known also as “Rabbitâ€￾, was a parolee who was released from prison a few months ago. Though his family couldn’t tell us the exact charge he was convicted of, they say that he spent almost 5 years behind bars. They also tell us that he was strictly following the rules of the parole, so that he would not have to spend the rest of his prison sentence.

Daniel Ortiz

“We understand that he recently came out of prison and was trying his very best to turn his life around.â€￾

Joyce “Happyâ€￾ Armstrong

“Yes he was doing good because he listened, stayed home and helped me and no go nowhere and stuff so I was surprise when they told me they killed him you know because I thought he was in the room the sleep because he is not a drink person and he is not going out and thing because he is trying to hold up his parole. So that was it they told me they killed him, I was surprised.â€￾

Daniel Ortiz

“What did he spend time for?â€￾

Joyce “Happyâ€￾ Armstrong

“Something he had with a taxi man but really wasn’t he, was a next boy and they put it on him and they give him 5 years and he come out on parole and he come out nearly 8 months now and he did good, no go nowhere and thing so.â€￾

This family now waits anxiously for police to catch his killers.

Joyce “Happyâ€￾ Armstrong

“Well we have no choice we just have to, we don’t know who so we just have to go with it until god find who or something because we can’t do nothing.â€￾

Daniel Ortiz

“So earlier in life ma’am before he had that mishap and he went to prison, was he anyone that struggled to stay out the streets?â€￾

Joyce “Happyâ€￾ Armstrong

“No he doesn’t go anywhere, my daughter raised him from he small from 3 and the whole while my daughter took care of him. He was not a bad person, he never use to go out.â€￾

Police have not released any official information on this murder yet.