Joel Nobal aka Willie/Wells
Joel Nobal, otherwise known as Wells or Willie of New Village, Castries will not only be remembered as the first homicide victim of 2014, but as a humble man who sold snacks from the shed he was killed in on Thursday, Jan. 2.
A friend of the deceased, speaking on condition of anonymity, told St. Lucia News Online that Nobal was a hardworking young man who tried to stay out of trouble.
“When he was way younger I heard stuff but he’s been doing well and staying out of trouble for years,” the friend said. “Where he was killed, he used to sell snacks for the children who played football. That’s where he chilled every day. This one is tough. He worked hard to stay out of trouble, so hard.”
The 27-year-old was shot in the head in a shed in New Village about 9:30 Thursday night. The police were fired upon by thug/s near the death scene. One person is in custody assisting with the investigations, police said.
Another friend described the deceased as pleasant and friendly.
“I’m gonna miss his smiles,” she said.
Asked about his past, she added: “I don’t know much about his past. We all have one. But what I do know is that he was a cool kid.”
Most say Nobal was not known to have been involved in trouble.
“I know he was in a fight last year in the neighbourhood. Most people saw but he calmed down and walked away. I was there that night. I heard the commotion, got up and checked,” the resident said.
A resident said this might not be the end of the saga, especially if a shootout occurred between the police and hoodlums – suggesting that the shooting might be gang-related.
“If that’s the case, this isn’t over, and I fear that more killings will happen,” the resident said.
Nobal is survived by a daughter.