“I Need Justice, He Didn’t Deserve to Die, He Went in Healthy and Came Out Dead”

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – Several months have passed, but the pain is still real for Cherelle Laramore, whose son died in police custody at the end of last year.

Police have said they have nothing to hide, and a coroner’s inquest could shed more light on what happened.

However, Laramore says she’s still waiting for answers, and as she continues to grapple with the loss of her son, she vows to keep seeking justice.

It was a few months ago when I, along with other media colleagues, gathered outside this station.

It was here that police said 35-year-old Lasheiko Pratt lost consciousness as officers attempted to escort him to court.

His mother, Cherelle Laramore, didn’t buy that explanation at the time.

Now, standing in front of that very same station with a shirt bearing her son’s face in hand, she says she’s still not satisfied.

Cherelle Laramore – Mother, Lasheiko Pratt

“He supposed to be safe. You’re supposed to be safe when you go, you understand, lock up to the station. No one said nothing, and I’m very upset about it.”

At the time, Assistant Commissioner of Police Anton Rahming told reporters the suspect resisted officers, allegedly telling them he did not want to attend court, prompting officers to subdue him.

But a day later, when I interviewed Laramore, who had chosen to remain anonymous when the incident first happened, she said the circumstances raised questions for her.

She pointed to police reports stating that no officers were injured during the incident, while no visible injuries were observed on her son’s body.

For Laramore, those details simply did not add up.

Cherelle Laramore – Mother, Lasheiko Pratt

“I don’t know who killed my son, but all I know, the autopsy blunt force trauma to his neck. Me: You saw the autopsy? Yes, sir, I saw the autopsy, and it was blunt force trauma to the neck.”

Back in January, it was reported that Pratt’s death would be the subject of a coroner’s inquest.

But months later, there has been no word on when that inquest will take place.

His mother is now left to navigate life without her only son, a man she described as a hardworking government employee who kept to himself and simply went about his life.

But even as she grieves, Laramore says she has no intention of staying silent.

She says she will continue speaking out until she gets the answers and accountability she believes her son deserves.

Cherelle Laramore – Mother, Lasheiko Pratt

“He didn’t deserve this because he gone in there healthy, young, strong, working, independent young man, gone healthy and came out in a body bag.”