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The sudden death of Constable Jason Beckford, 32, has left his family, friends, and the quiet district of Hampton Court in St Thomas grappling with shock, grief and unanswered questions.

Beckford, a father of two boys, age nine and eight, was walking along the Hampton Court main road around 8 p.m. on Tuesday when he suddenly collapsed. He was rushed to the Princess Margaret Hospital but was pronounced dead. With no known illnesses or complaints of pain, his family is struggling to understand what caused the death of someone they say was vibrant, healthy, and full of life.

"Mi nuh think wi ago ever get closure," his mother-in-law Sardia Harris told THE STAR. "Him completely healthy... nuh back problem, noting at all. Mi a wonder if a heart attack." An official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

"He left for duty," said his sister-in-law Tresan Higgins. "Mi not even sure if him did want something to eat, but sometimes him just walk fi ketch a taxi. Somebody call mi from di gate and tell mi seh him deh a hospital... him collapse." The place where he fell right in front of a yard, near where his best friend lives, adds an eerie weight to the story.

"Mi did think a just regular 'nuh feel good' or something else wrong wid him, but... that was it," Higgins said. By the time she and other relatives reached the hospital, the emergency area was flooded with police units.

"Is like five, six jeep... everybody surround di emergency section. That a when mi realise it serious," she said.

FIXTURE IN THE COMMUNITY

Beckford, originally from Spanish Town, St Catherine, had been living in Hampton Court for nearly a decade. He was drawn to the area after meeting his partner at a party, "love at first sight", according to Higgins. They shared a room on the top floor of the family house, with Beckford eventually becoming a fixture in the tight-knit community, which is about 21 kilometres from Morant Bay.

"Even when him and mi daughter never deh, him still deh yah. A from when mi grandson inna belly him start stay here," said Harris, fighting tears. "Mi miserable bad, but him never once disrespect mi. Mi nuh think mi ever meet somebody so humble."

"Him love music, him always a fight over di sound box. Him favourite song was Ocean Wave by Alkaline. Him did waan be a producer, and him used to pay for studio time for artiste inna di area," said Higgins.

"Him never have nuh time fi seh goodbye to him children, no hint that something did wrong. Just one moment him a walk and the next, him dead," said Higgins. "When mi ask him [nine-year-old] if him understand seh him nah go see him father again, him just say 'Yes' and break down. That pain mi heart."