Police are bracing for reprisal killings following the murder of a suspected senior gang member on Tuesday night.
Police said around 9 pm, the victim Terrance “Biggs” Roberts, of Myers Lane, Old Longdenville Road, Longdenville, went to meet the owner of an auto-body garage at Tobago Road, Enterprise, Chaguanas.
The businessman identified as Miguel Fox told police Roberts arrived in his Mitsubishi pick-up truck together with a woman who was driving a Nissan Tiida, which needed repairs.
Fox said Roberts went to look around in the garage while he remained outside with the woman assessing the extent of the repairs. He claimed while looking under the vehicle he was startled by a series of gunshots.
Fox told police when he got up the woman had disappeared and he found Roberts lying unconscious in his garage with several gunshot wounds to his body.
Police arrived on the scene and Roberts was pronounced dead by a District Medical Officer (DMO). An illegal Rock Island .45 calibre pistol, loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition, was found tucked in the waistband of Roberts’ jeans.
Ballistic testing is expected to be performed on the gun to determine if it was used in any recent gang-related shootings in the community, which police said is still in the midst of a gang war.
Homicide detectives said Roberts was well known to them and was an associate of a major gang leader operating in central Trinidad. Police were up to late yesterday searching for Roberts’ female friend who they believe can assist them with investigations.
In an interview at the Forensic Science Centre, yesterday, Roberts’ mother, Sherry Roberts, said she could not say if her son was involved in a gang. However, she did admit he had a close relationship with a leader of a crime syndicate.
“I don’t know if he was affiliated with anything illegal but I know he was affiliated with him (name withheld),” she said.
“He was a down-to-earth child on a whole. He grow up that way. I don’t know what was his lifestyle when he moved up this side, but he was a Muslim and as far as I know he was just working to make ends meet,” she added.
Roberts also defended the alleged gang leader’s reputation as she said her opinion of him changed after being introduced to him by her son.
ASP Terrence Williams and Sgt Jitendra Toolaram of the Central Division visited the scene of Roberts’ murder and are assisting homicide detectives with the investigation.