While many families rang in the 2016 together, Victor Corrio “Dan” Welch’s children were left to mourn his death after he was shot dead while liming on Wednesday night.
His children spent yesterday in the care of relatives while his common-law wife tended to his autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre, his father Glenford Reid said.
According to police, Welch, 33, of New City Avenue, Fyzabad was at John Jules Extension when around 11 pm, residents heard loud explosions. On checking, they found him lying at the side of the road with gunshot wounds.
On visiting the murder scene yesterday, shop owner Kathy-Ann Abraham said it was around 10 pm Wednesday that Welch purchased a half pack of cigarettes and a chubby softdrink. After he walked out, she heard several explosions but thought it was firecrackers.
About two minutes later, another resident walked into the shop and told her that a man was lying dead in the road.
“We ran out and saw him lying at the side of the road and when we were about to call the ambulance, we looked to see if he was breathing but he was already dead. It looked like he got shot in his head,” Abraham said.
Another neighbour said they heard the explosion but it didn’t sound like gunshot.
Reid, who walked across to the scene yesterday with his youngest son, said he last saw Welch alive Wednesday morning when passed by his house and called out them. He said he was asleep that night when his wife woke him after hearing the gunshots.
“She came and told me she heard gunshots and that Dan got shot. I got up and came across but he was already dead. I am still trying to find out what happened because he was a quiet man. He was not any trouble maker, even the police know that. The only thing he used to do was take a little smoke,” Reid said.
He said he was troubled by the amount of murders taking place, saying that young people no longer wanted to resolve conflicts, instead they sought vengeance.