A few footsteps away from where Roger Romaine was shot dead in May, the man accused by relatives of killing him was shot dead yesterday morning.
Micheal Matthews, 57, of Fazal Avenue, Penal, was gunned down outside his home about 1.35 am yesterday, moments after being dropped off by a friend from a parang lime.
According to Matthews’ common-law wife, Monica Gumbs, Matthews was returning home after a parang lime at Latchoos Trace, Penal, when the incident occurred. “There was no one at home then, but I was told he dropped out of the car in front of the house and walked into the yard,” Gumbs said. “Apparently whoever it was standing by the tanks shot him when he walked in.” Gumbs said she was unsure why he was killed but she said Mikey, as he was affectionately known, was accused of killing her nephew Roger Romaine seven months ago.
“I would like to know myself why he was killed, but when Roger was killed, people was saying Mikey did it. But he was lying down in bed with me the night that happened, so I don’t know where that (accusation) came from.”
Gumbs said Matthews was shot twice in the head. An autopsy is expected to be done today. When the T&T Guardian visited the house yesterday, there was a message painted across the family’s driveway in white paint, to Romaine’s killer. The fading sign read, “God forgive those who murdered Roger.”
A collage of photos of Romaine was also hung on the front wall of the house, laminated to protect. On May 18, Romaine was shot dead outside the same house where he also lived. No one has been arrested for his killing.
In an unrelated killing, police said Chaitram Tokai was gunned down after a visit to his brother at Chickland Village, Freeport, yesterday. According to them, at around 2.45 pm Tokai was crossing the road to go home as he lived across the road, when a gunman approached and shot the 45-year-old in the head. As his body hit the ground the gunman again fired several times at Tokai before leaving in the getaway car, a silver Nissan Tiida.
Sgt Jitendra Tooleram and Insp Teesdale visited the scene along with Homicide officers. Police could not give a motive for Tokai’s murder. The murder toll for the year stood at 396 up to late yesterday.