Hours before he was expected to appear at the Siparia Magistrates Court on firearms offences, Fyzabad coconut vendor Negus Mc Meo was gunned down near his home yesterday.
Mc Meo, 23, was found dead in some bushes off Sewlal Trace around 6 am by sanitation workers of the Siparia Regional Corporation who went to empty a bin.
Police believe his murder was a hit and said he was known to them for drugs and firearm possession.
They said he left home around 9 pm to go to Siparia and was shot dead while walking home early yesterday morning.
Fyzabad CID, led by Snr Supt Patsy Joseph, Asp Beverly Rodriguez and Insp Anderson Pariman, searched the area and found a pair of gloves which they took as evidence.
Speaking at their home yesterday, his brother, Nouredine Brown, 18, said all he knew was that Mc Meo went to a sports day at New City Avenue, Fyzabad, yesterday. He said that around 6.30 am, his mother Becky-Ann Mc Meo got a phone call about his brother’s death.
Neighbours said Mc Meo escaped death last year when he was shot at but no one could say who wanted him dead.
However, they said he was suspected by police of being involved in the robbery of a Chinese supermarket a week ago. They said he was eventually arrested and charged for wearing a camouflaged pants. The latest killing has taken the murder toll to 250 for the year.