A 21-year-old man was shot dead on First Street, Coconut Grove, hours after he attended a Good Friday service with his mother.

Margaret Gardiner admitted her son, Harry Gardiner, had a troubled past, but said he turned his life around and was living for Christ.

"He went to Good Friday, to the church," Margaret Gardiner said. "Before he took his communion he went there and confessed his sins.

"He asked God to forgive him for what he has done and everything. "He took his communion and everything was just peace.

When he came home, he just played with the children...changed his clothes and [there was] no fuss, no nothing.

"It was a usual day, [although it] was Good Friday... He got up and said he was going by the youths because he was supposed to hook up with some of the guys in the youth [group].

"He left after 5 o'clock... Around 8:30 p.m., I got the call, 'Come, your son has just been shot'.

"I was like, 'What? My son has just been shot?'" According to police, Gardiner was playing dominoes with several young men when a gunman walked up to the group and fired several shots. Gardiner was hit multiple times.

On the scene, Chief Superintendent Clayton Fernander said Gardiner was recently released on bail for a serious matter.

Gardiner's mother admitted that her son had a "bad break" in December.However, she said he made good strides in changing his life for the better since then.

"In December, he had a little bit of a past, a bad break...but he got over it and he came back," she said. "When the new year rolled in, by the end of January, he started going to church.

"He started doing things for the church like being in the youth group.

"Then he started praying and giving God thanks and praise." Margaret Gardiner said nearly two weeks ago, Gardiner came to her and said, 'Mummy, I am going to be truthful with you.

If anything happens to me, if I die, cremate me. Do not carry me inside a casket."Gardiner and his mother attended Trinity Assembly of Praise.

The church's youth pastor, Clint Watson, said although Gardiner grew up in the church, he strayed as many young men do.

But Watson said Gardiner returned and contributed to the church community.

"He really made an effort to change his life and to live the right life," he said.

"He was always in church. He was always at youth meetings. He was always at youth functions. "He wanted to do right. He came back and he was trying to do right, and he consistently did it."

Watson said Gardiner knew that because of his past, there were people who held ill will toward him.

"And so, while he changed and wanted to make a positive start for a future, he could not escape that past," he said.

Watson said Gardiner sat in the back of the church smiling during Friday's service.He said Gardiner hugged almost everyone as they left.

He added that two hours before his death, Gardiner posted a message in the church's youth group chat room: "I had such a great day at church today everybody.Love y'all.

Let's have a great weekend. I am surely going to have fun this weekend." Margaret Gardiner said she forgives her son's killer. The murder count for the year stands at 38.

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