As the casket of Mario Lockhart lay at the front of Trinity Global Cathedral, grief hung heavy, a pain shared by friends, family and community still struggling to come to terms with his violent death.
Presiding over the funeral service, Bishop Trevor Williamson urged restraint in the face of heartbreak, reminding mourners that justice ultimately rests with God.
“The perpetrator who took Mario’s life, God will deal with them,” Williamson told the solemn congregation.
He described the act as “cowardly,” recounting how Lockhart was providing security at a party when he was shot in the back by a gunman reportedly angered by a prior confrontation over entry rules.
“That’s a real sissy — somebody got to say something,” Williamson preached candidly, drawing murmurs from mourners. Williams then offered counsel.
“‘Vengeance is mine,’ says the Lord. Forgive him. Let God fight your battle… Mario lived a good life.”
Mourners said his life was marked by hustle and an unrelenting belief in possibilities.
Friends remembered the 52-year-old as an entrepreneur who could “make money from anything,” always seeking new ways to grow and diversify. Member of Parliament for Nassau Village, Jamahl Strachan, described Lockhart as someone deeply in tune with his community.
“He understood the pulse of the ground,” Strachan said, noting that Lockhart had planned to canvass alongside him ahead of the 2026 general election, plans now cut short.
A resident and businessman rooted in the area, Lockhart built his livelihood, owning Hardcore Security and the entertainment venue Da Crib Lounge.
“I appreciated him most as a constituent,” Strachan added, “because he represented what you want most constituents to be, thriving, business-oriented, Bahamian-owned business.”
Others spoke more simply, yet powerfully.
“To know Mario is to love him,” said friend Hugh Strachan.
Adrian Pratt remembered him as supportive, passionate, and friendly, the kind of man who showed up when people needed him.
One moment of lightness in the service was when Bishop Williamson recalled Lockhart’s 2017 run for office with the Democratic National Alliance, joking that he once thought, “This joker ain’t ga win nothing,” prompting gentle laughter from the congregation. Lockhart did not succeed politically, but many said his true impact was felt more strongly in the community.
One friend asked that the person responsible would be made so uncomfortable that they would surrender to authorities.
