Ravin Thompson, who was also called Ravi, loved to dance, play games, and at the age of 18, had an unusual interest: He enjoyed battling his friends at the card game, 'Yu-gi-yo'. Yu-gi-yo is a popular Japanese animated series which involves the card game also called 'Duel Monsters', where each player uses cards possessing different powers to defeat the other players.

One of his friends, 'Jesse', with whom he had many duels, has asked The Sunday Gleaner not to use his real name because of safety concerns. Jesse has fond memories of Ravin. He even feels some sort of responsibility for the death of his friend, as he believed he could have prevented it if Ravin had come to stay with him in the country, where he now lives.

A brother

Jesse, who is also 18, has known Ravin since he was eight years old, when they used to live together in the Bay Farm Road area. He regards him as his brother.

Those days were carefree, days when he and Ravin spent their free time catching lizards and playing with their toys.

"Ravi is a very quiet person, you know. Him love go out and him love dance - him see himself as a dancer. The two a we usually dance, and him love toys. Even as a big man, we love game, cause we eva a play game. Even though we a big yute, we a play game, you see me, and Yu-gi-yo card."

Jesse added that Ravin was always seen with his Nintendo Game Boy Advance, or going to a game shop to play the latest games, or entering tournaments to test his wits against other players.

Jesse was, therefore, shocked when he heard that Ravi was killed in a shoot-out, according to the police.

"Me dash wey the phone man, and me start cry ... Me feel bad, me feel like seh me coulda do summin fi stop it. If him did down ya wid me at the same time, him wouldn't dead."

Born at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital on October 20, 1988, Ravin's mother said that he first walked at eight months and talked at one year. As he got older, she said, he became a very reserved person.

Speaking to other family members and friends, it seemed as if this was his general demeanour.

Descriptions such as "very quiet", "didn't speak much", and "kept to himself" kept popping up during interviews.

One of Ravin's neighbours described him as a "cautious and very nice guy". He said Ravin would often stand at the gate in the nights and look out for him as he came from work, then they would sit and "reason."

Ravin, who had plans to attend the Jamaica German Automotive School, had just graduated from the Norman Manley High School. His education started at the St. Francis Basic School and from there, he went on to the St. Andrew Primary School, where he took his Grade Six Achievement Test, following which he went to the Norman Manley High school. Attempts by The Gleaner to speak to former teachers of Ravin were blocked by the Principal, Adaire Powell-Brown.

Former classmates

One of his former classmates at the school, 'Kwesi', who also asked us not to use his real name, expressed dismay at the death of Ravin.

"When me get the call, me did shock. Is a youth weh deal wid game and dem ting deh. It come as a surprise and a shock."

Another friend, Anthony, said he broke down in tears for the first time since he was 10 years old and was in denial about the death. "Me neva want believe it, you see wha me a seh, cause me a seh, 'How that possible?' Dem man de no inna no passa-passa, so why police a shoot him up fa? Him no do nuttin related to badness, him no associate himself wid dem ting deh. Dem man deh jus inna dem game," said Anthony.

Both described their friend as a very artistic person, who would draw cartoons and make figures out of cardboard boxes.