MP mourns ex-footballer: 'Tekay strayed from his dreams'

Tekay Hoyce. -

TEN years after he represented the country in the Concacaf Under-17 World Cup qualifying campaign, former national youth footballer Tekay Hoyce was gunned down on the corner of Charlotte Street and Independence Square, Port of Spain, on December 27, around 6 pm.

The 27-year-old’s body was found slumped close to a dragon statue near the Chinatown entrance with bullet wounds about his shoulder, chest and head.

A police report said two other men, aged 20 and 65, of Arouca and Morvant, were also shot along with a female passer-by who received injuries to her hand.

Hoyce's death has left the local football community in mourning as yet another footballer/ex-footballer has succumbed to gun violence.

It has left many questioning what went wrong as Hoyce turned away from "the beautiful game" and allegedly embraced a life in the underworld.

Laventille West MP Kareem Marcelle, a childhood friend of Hoyce, said Hoyce had the “potential to be one of TT’s most outstanding footballers.”

However, he noted darker aspects of the Laventille youth’s life amid rumours that the killing was gang-related.

“Somewhere along the line, he strayed away from his dreams and entered a world which cost him a violent end. We were not in contact for some years until I was retained by his family to represent him in a matter before the court.”

Although unable to disclose details on the matter, Marcelle maintained that life decisions, especially for youth in vulnerable communities, matter.

“Choices matter. So many childhood friends in our communities have made great choices and are now excelling as accountants, doctors, lawyers, engineers, plumbers, hairdressers, clerks, footballers, electricians etc. I encourage our young people to make great and positive choices.

“Growing up in East Port-of-Spain, I have always strived to speak positivity and hope into every youth. It is never too late to turn your lives around, to live for Jehovah God and to just chase your positive dreams.”

Marcelle extended condolences to Hoyce’s friends, family and teammates.

Former national under-17 teammate Isiah Garcia described Hoyce as a joyful teammate who was always joking and making others laugh.

“On the field, he was very committed, competitive, and determined to win.”

He said he was not aware of any issues Hoyce had with the law.

Former manager of the TT under-17 team, Chris Govia, who worked with Hoyce from age 15, told Newsday Hoyce was easy to work with.

“He gave his all on the field…his environment didn’t seem to affect him football-wise. He never behaved in any kind of disrespectful, untoward way. His language wasn’t violent or anything like that, he was just a kid.

“But the old sayings always hold true about the kinds of environments that we put children in. Unfortunately, it got the better of him. I don’t know the details, I don’t know why anybody would want to kill him.”

Although he has never heard of Hoyce being involved in any criminal activity, Govia said such tragic incidents are not uncommon.

“This is about the fourth player that I know of, who was involved in the national youth programme and ended up dying as a result of violence.”

The deaths of youth footballers have made headlines throughout 2025. July 31 saw the murder of 17-year-old Kimani Dyer, an Arima North Secondary School student. Dyer was shot dead along with two others, their bodies were found on a farm on Demerara Road, Arima.

Before that, the death of another 17-year-old player, Zwade Alleyne, shook the nation. Zwade was declared brain dead on May 15, five days after a stray bullet struck him in the head while he was standing near the door of his Maloney Gardens home.

This happened just weeks after 17-year-old Ezekiel Ramdialsingh was shot and killed on April 15 at his family’s home in Phase Four, La Horquetta, Arima, while liming with friends. He was returning from a political meeting.

Jayden Moore, 19, of D'Abadie was also shot and killed in a botched robbery on September 21, 2024.

'False hope for some footballers'

Govia said these tragedies go beyond football and have nationwide implications for youth seeking escape from violence through the sport.

“Just because they play sport, it doesn't mean they’re not exposed to the bad things that exist in their communities. And if they don’t get protection…if they get exposed to these things, without help, it will eventually pull them.”

He said the problem also comes from within professional football, which Govia said, despite the hope it offers to many young players, fails to provide them with the financial security they dream of.

“You hear about them training and not getting paid. If they're not on scholarships and you bring them on a football team without paying them, how are they supposed to live? How are they going to get money to travel and feed a family?”

He recalled a mother begging him for help to get her son out of TT to escape the violent community he was in.

“We were able to and he stayed away from that life of violence that was trying to pull him…but a lot of them don’t have the opportunity to go on scholarship. They’re great footballers, they're really talented and they want to play football, but they want to earn a living at the same time.”

He noted the stories of many local and international footballers who used the sport as a means of escaping poverty and dangerous environments.

“Football was able to save them…but if they didn’t get contracts, what would happen? And it’s the same thing happening to our boys here. The ones who would have been fortunate to get contracts or go away on scholarships have escaped. But what about the others?”

“These boys, they don’t want to be involved in violence. You could tell because when you get to know them, they’re respectful young men, fun-loving just like everyone else…they want to play football but how are they going to be training twice a day without money...it’s grossly unfair to these kids to give them that false hope.”

In a Facebook post, the TT Football Association remembered Hoyce’s contributions to his team. His penalty conversion in the 2014 Caribbean under-17 World Cup qualifier final round secured TT a 3-0 victory over Barbados at the Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

He also scored the winning goal for Mucurapo East Secondary at the 2014 national Intercol final against St Benedict’s College. This won the school its third Intercol title and earned Hoyce the spotlight.

Hoyce represented TT alongside other top players such as Noah Powder, John Paul Rochford, Keston Julien and Darnell Hospedales.

“The football community acknowledges Hoyce’s contribution at the youth international level and extends condolences to his family, friends, and former teammates during this time,” the TTFA said.

PoS vendors traumatised

Although it was business as usual on Charlotte Street when Newsday visited the morning after the shooting, one vendor who witnessed the incident described it as nothing short of traumatising.

“It have plenty people frightened to come out. It have a woman here, she come out this morning to pack out, but when she hear what happen, she say, ‘Nah!’ and leave.

“I accustomed to hearing it, but this is the first time I see it so close in my face. That have me traumatised...now as I see what went on there last night I have to watch vehicles and people around, because I don’t know if they coming behind somebody else and I might get pick up in it. Bullets have no name and have no eyes.”

Another vendor who was present during the ordeal was still visibly tense and said there were no words to describe what he felt.

Other vendors who were not present said while crime, including shootings, is common in the Port of Spain area, the sense of anxiety and need for heightened vigilance still remained.

“You have to watch because it have all kinda thing going on out here.”