What was supposed to be a simple, routine Sunday treat turned into tragedy for six-year-old Soraya Bourne, who lost her life in the fiery explosion at the Mobil gas station at Regent and King Streets, Georgetown.
Now, her grieving mother, Samantha Roach, is seeking for answers and justice as she struggles to make sense of her daughter’s horrific death.
The News Room visited Roach’s home, where she sat surrounded by relatives, eyes swollen from crying and recalled her last moments with her youngest child.
“She excited fah go buy she chicken every Sunday… she got to get she money to go buy she chicken no matter wah you cook… she want she KFC,” the distraught mother said.
It was their routine, every Sunday, Soraya and her cousins would hop into her aunt’s car and head to KFC. This time, they never made it back.
At about 19:36 hrs Sunday night, the deadly explosion changed everything.
“Somebody come and ride tell me how meh niece car just blow up at the gas station.
“I rush go but by time I reach, they done carry some of them hospital,” Roach said.
At the hospital, she frantically begged for information.
“They keep asking me details about she… then I ask one of the girls to look and the girl seh no, she can’t see. The other one pull the blind and they start holler out. Me daughter lay down there dead.
“Onto now they ain’t tell me how meh daughter dead. They had me there questioning and questioning. I keep hollering, ‘meh daughter name Soraya Bourne! I want see meh daughter!’ When I finally see she… I blackout. I ain’t know nothing after that,” Roach told the News Room.
Soraya, who was seated behind the driver’s seat in the car, died at the scene. She was later rushed to the hospital by persons in the area.
“A man had to tek she and put she on he shoulder and beg a woman. The woman seh she can’t carry the rest, but she tek she,” Roach said.
The explosion left others badly injured.
The car Soraya was in, PTT 8275, was driven by Genica Hooper. The other three occupants were: Rashad Lord, 8; Sadiya McClintock, 11 and Yevonne Jonas.
For Roach, who described her family as “one big happy family,” the loss feels unreal.
“Every Sunday they does go buy they chicken and they does come back. Whole day yesterday (Sunday) she (Soraya) deh playing with them lil children, whole day. She too young fah get a death like that. I didn’t mind if she did sick… duh is a cruel death. She didn’t deserve to die like that,” Roach said through tears.
Police are searching for a man, believed to be Spanish-speaking, who allegedly left two suspicious bags at the gas station shortly before a powerful explosion.
Police sources told the News Room that CCTV footage shows the suspect—wearing a blue jersey, black pants, a light green hat, and grey slippers—arriving at the fuel station around 18:15 hrs carrying two large black garbage bags.
Police searching for man believed to be behind deadly gas station explosion
He reportedly attempted to dump the bags in a bin but was stopped by a pump attendant.
The man then walked to the southwestern side of the compound, near cages used to store cooking gas cylinders, where he placed the bags on the ground before leaving south along King Street.
At approximately 19:36 hrs, an explosion erupted from the same area, damaging the fuel station building, several vehicles, and nearby structures.
Roach is now clinging to memories of her daughter’s joy and innocence and a birthday that will never come.
“She birthday coming up next month. I buy she a tablet for she birthday, but she godmother buy a more fancy one. The tablet come and she never get it. She never get fah hold it,” Roach cried.
As she wiped away tears, Roach plea was simple.
“I need some type of justice for meh daughter. Like I can’t do nothing without it. She was meh baby, meh last one. I just want justice,” she pleaded.
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