Duncan Ketter shot and killed in drug rip-off in Boston, US

Duncan Ketter, who was shot and killed in Boston, USA. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • According to a local media report, prosecutors said the teen allegedly brought Ketter and a woman into a vehicle to exchange bhang for cash.
  • A man, 18, was arrested Monday and charged with murder, armed robbery, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm.

A family in Kericho is grieving the death of their son in the United States.

Duncan Ketter, 19, was shot and killed in Boston, Massachusetts Sunday evening, police believe his death may have been the result of a drug deal rip-off.

Police said they responded to a call for a person shot near Orleans and Marginal streets about 4.45pm on Sunday and found a man “suffering from what appeared to be a gunshot wound.”

DRUG DISPUTE

Police said there was a dispute between Ketter and another person, who shot him while they were in a car and dumped him on the streets.

Thorus O’Brien, 18, was arrested Monday and charged with murder, armed robbery, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm.

A 16-year-old was also charged with armed robbery in the same incident.

According to a local media report, prosecutors said the teen allegedly brought Ketter and a woman into a vehicle to exchange bhang for cash.

“Unbeknownst to Ketter or the woman, however, O’Brien, was hidden in the rear cargo area of the vehicle,” Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Jake Wark said in a statement.

“O’Brien allegedly revealed himself as the vehicle was in motion, producing a firearm and demanding marijuana from the woman and Ketter. When he met with verbal resistance, O’Brien allegedly fired, fatally injuring Ketter. The group allegedly threw Ketter and the woman from the vehicle onto the street.”

JUSTICE

At his native Changoi village in Belgut Constituency, his family was demanding for justice.

His mother, Mary Keter, is yet to come to terms with the sad news.

His sister, Daisy Ketter, said they received the heartbreaking news on Monday morning, just hours after she chatted with her brother on WhatsApp.

“My father’s instinct alerted him that all was not well after my brother failed to answer his phone calls. After a tiring search and even passing a crowd that surrounded the body, he later found himself in the hands of police who broke the sad news to him,” said the sister.

Plans to bring the body home for burial are currently underway. His funeral service has been set for mid-January.

Ketter made news internationally three years ago after he selflessly jumped onto the tracks of an underground train station in Boston to help save a man who had fallen and was unconscious.

Additional reporting by Beatrice Kangai