A - adorable with a charming wide smile.
K - kind to his family and others.
I - individualistic since he was not influenced by others easily.
D - determined to make a positive change and disciplined in his approach.
According to loved ones Akid Duke was as unique as his name stated.
Gunned down as he played video games on his cell phone while he waited on his mother to complete a job interview in Arouca last week, Akid Duke was yesterday described as a strong-willed young man who will always be remembered for being respectful.
Holding back her tears as she delivered the eulogy at Duke’s funeral service which was held at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain - his primary school teacher Hazel Warner from Bethlehem RC School recalled Duke’s drive to succeed and the love he had for his younger siblings.
Referring to the deceased 15-year-old as the “go to child” in primary school whenever they needed someone to represent them at external events, the teacher said he always ensured his appearance was neat and clean.
Warner said, “He took pride in his appearance and that also transferred to his schoolwork”
Revealing the pride Duke’s school family experienced when he passed for South East Port-of-Spain Secondary School, his teacher said Duke’s personality was much like the school, “undeterred by the negativity that surrounds it.”
Duke died after being shot several times as he waited in a private vehicle for his mother Afeisha Duke to complete a job interview on March 9.
His mother had hired the driver to be taken from Port-of-Spain to Bon Air Gardens, Arouca - and had taken Duke with her as she believed he would have been safe.
It was reported that minutes before the shooting, gunmen warned the driver to leave the area.
Duke’s mother heard the gunshots during the interview and upon checking, did not find her son or the driver who had driven the injured teenager to the Arouca Police Station, where he was conveyed by officers to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope.
He was pronounced dead on arrival.