By Kurt Campbell
Akali Moore, 33, the main suspect in the fire at Silvertown, Linden that resulted in the death of a 12-year-old girl and her aunt was arrested in the wee hours of Tuesday and remains in Police custody at the Wismar Police Station.
He was arrested two streets away from the tragic incident where he spent the night hiding in some bushes.
While his niece, Eikeila Adams and sister, Cheryl Moore perished in the fire, another sister remains hospitalised and other relatives are in sheer disbelief.
From the accounts of neighbours and relatives, Cheryl was seemingly the target of Akali’s onslaught; earlier in the day, he reportedly threatened to kill her as he wielded a cutlass in the face of another sibling.
The News Room understands that Monday night’s fire was the culmination of months of sibling rivalry. Kayla celebrated her birthday earlier the evening and the family had just retired to bed at about 22:30 hrs when Akali, using kerosene, lit the fire in the lower flat of the house.
Kayla’s father, Phillip Moore, spoke to the News Room outside of the Wismar Police Station.
“Me lil buddy does trouble from a lil phycology thing and me ain’t know what happen last night between he and me sister for him to do what he do but he ain’t mad or nothing, he get he head on.
“When he done do wha he do, he asking wha going on… I ain’t get no time with him anymore because he burn up my sister and my daughter,” the distraught man noted.
He said another sister, Pauline Moore, was forced to jump from a window in the upper flat of the house to escape. She suffered minor burns.
Awaken by heat coming from the lower flat of the building, Phillip said he tried to save his daughter and sister but was unsuccessful.
“I could ah only save myself or all a we would a get burn,” he added.
Phillip said he was confronted by Akali with a cutlass and he [Akali] reportedly threatened to kill everyone.
Phillip said he was forced back into his room to avoid the armed confrontation and while pondering an appropriate response, he was alerted to the fire.
According to a neigbour’s account of what transpired, Akali indeed made threats moments before the incident.
“He keep saying, ‘they gon see what I gon do’ and within five minutes after, he start the fire from right under the veranda.
“By time we try to alert people, we calling and they didn’t respond right away, and in that time, the fire spread.
“Like four of them jump out the window… they were asleep and the fire spread so quickly,” the woman who opted to remain anonymous related. She said the response from the fire service was commendable.
