RUDOLPH James, one of the five people slain at Harpe Place, Port of Spain, is being hailed as a hero after he sacrificed his life for that of another shooting victim.

But the hero, who resided in St Barb’s Road, Belmont, has left five children, four of whom are under the age of 18, without a father and the sole breadwinner of that home.

Now, even as residents at Harpe Place are now praising him for saving a resident’s life, his children and disabled wife may not even have a place to stay.

Hero’s relatives: He always took action

Relatives described James as a hard-working, determined father, who, despite his love for his family, was not afraid to stand up for what was right.

“If he needs to get something he will get it,” said one of his three daughters, Arita James. “He is a good person but not afraid to take action.”

His wife of 14 years, Anita James, who suffers from multiple sclerosis described him as a family man and a good father to his five children – Arita, 15, Abiola, 16, Azia, 12, Adon, 3 and his eldest son, Rudoplh James Jr.

“He did everything for his family. He made sure we had food, we had clothes, the lights were on and the bills were paid,” Anita said. “He made sure to provide for us and protect us.”

James, relatives said, worked under the Unemployment Relief Programme since he was in his late teens. Each relative expressed shock at his death, saying he had just left home to get groceries so they could make a special Sunday lunch.

“The last time I spoke to him was on Saturday morning,” his wife said. “I told him to take it easy, to be careful down the road. I would normally call him during the day. If he left and it seemed like he was coming home late I would call him and see if everything is all right with him. He would then ask if everything was all right with me.”

At Forensics, Rudolph Jr said he was well-known at Harpe Place. “Almost everyone knew him at the Harp,” he said. “He had a lot of friends there.” He said his fondest memories were of him dancing. “It used to make me laugh,” he said. “Seeing this fat man trying to dance.”

His eldest daughter Abiona said they last spoke on Friday night, where he was admonishing her about a school project.

“He was getting on with me and telling me to focus on school,” she said. “He was always trying to encourage me to do my work.”

Abiona said the family found out about his death through relatives. She told Newsday two relatives showed up at their home and asked to speak to her mother.

“They said give her my phone so they could call and put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear. When I called one of the relatives said ‘Well I hear your father dead.’”

The relatives told Abiona and the rest of the family that they didn’t want them to go to the scene as they were already going, to find out if he was really dead.

“I was in shock,” Abiona said. “I started crying, but I didn’t believe them at the same time. I called his phone to see if it was true or not. A man who sounded just like my father said ‘Your father is here on the