From Hollywood to horror

The grief was almost too much for Bartholomew Brown to bear.

The father of 43-year-old musician and actor Brian Todd Boucher, better known by his stage name ‘Ras Ajai’, said the news that his son had been shot dead on Saturday night came as a devastating blow, leaving the family struggling to process the tragedy.

Boucher’s death comes just two years after a major milestone in his career, when he appeared in the acclaimed Hollywood biopic Bob Marley: One Love, portraying reputed gangster and Marley associate Claude Massop.

Yesterday, Brown recalled that he was at home when neighbours delivered the heartbreaking news to his wife.

“I attempted to go out there, because I was told that it happened on Waterford Parkway. He was talking to his friends when they attack him,” the traumatised father told The Gleaner.

The fatal shooting reportedly occurred about 9 p.m. on Waterford Parkway in Portmore, St Catherine, where Boucher had gone to meet friends.

Brown said that, based on information he received, his son was struck multiple times by gunfire.

“I am surprised I didn’t hear the shots. He was a jovial person who deals with people with respect. He does music and he is a person who try to uplift people. He tried to deal with people with respect.”

According to Brown, Boucher had recently returned to Jamaica from overseas. After arriving home, he discovered that he could not access his room because he did not have his keys. He reportedly went to collect them from his girlfriend, but told her she could continue keeping them and that he would return later.

Instead, he went to spend time with friends on Waterford Parkway, where he was later fatally shot.

The killing has left Brown searching for answers, unable to understand why anyone would target his son.

“I believe he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, because nobody would want to harm him because he was not a troublemaker.”

Focused on inspiring others

Brown described Boucher as a respectful and peace-loving individual whose music was focused on inspiring others rather than promoting violence or conflict.

Although Boucher was not his biological son, Brown said he had raised him from he was five months old and considered him his own.

“What happened shock us hard. As a father, it shocked me very hard,” Brown said.

He said he brought his son up in the Church and taught him to fear God, adding that he could not think of anyone who would have wanted to harm him.

Brown also reflected on the family’s pride following Boucher’s appearance in Bob Marley: One Love, describing the achievement as a defining moment.

“We were proud of him, he did well, the entire family was so proud of him. For me as his father it hit me very hard, I wasn’t expecting this at all.”

Meanwhile, the Waterford community, where Boucher was born, has been plunged into mourning, with residents remembering him as a friendly and respectful man whose positive spirit touched many lives.

Brown said his son was widely loved throughout the community, making the circumstances surrounding his death even more difficult for relatives and friends to understand.

“I believe he was at the wrong at the wrong time, because nobody would want to harm him because he was not a troublemaker.”

ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com