No sermon at Dog Paw’s funeral
Published:Monday | January 3, 2022 | 12:09 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
The officiating pastor at the funeral for reputed gangster Christopher Anthony ‘Dog Paw’ Linton was last Friday prevented from delivering a sermon as the time allotted for the proceedings by the security forces had been exhausted.
The service, which was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in the chapel at the Dovecot Memorial Park in St Catherine, got under way at about 2:30 p.m. under the watchful eyes of members of the security forces, with mainly relatives and close friends in attendance.
The 35-year-old Linton – the reputed leader of the Dog Paw Gang – was killed on October 11, 2021, during an alleged shoot-out with the police in Elletson Flats, St Andrew.
The police reported that shortly before 2 p.m. that day, lawmen, acting on information, intercepted a vehicle in which armed men were believed to be travelling.
When signalled to stop, Linton allegedly exited the vehicle and opened gunfire. The gunfire was returned and he was shot.
Last Friday, mourners remembered him as one who loved people and lived not just for himself.
Leah Tavares-Finson, the mother of his three children, described Linton as a loving and caring person who was misunderstood by many.
“He was such a loving, caring protector. He was my protector. This is a great loss, no matter what anybody says ... . He was an amazing guy,” she said, crying while her children consoled her.
“People always never understand how I ended up with Chris, but sometimes I think to myself, ‘How did he end up with me?’” Tavares-Finson acknowledged.
She said that for 18 years, Linton was her best friend and a great father to her children, even though he spent most of his time away from them due to incarceration.
In eulogising him, Linton’s girlfriend, Crystal Gordon, cast him as an innocent person who was victimised by the police and alluded to his innocence on the day he was killed, characterising the reported shoot-out with the police as an allegation.
Tributes in song were delivered by his eldest son and other family members, who acknowledged how much Linton would be missed, before the casket was taken to the grave.