Mother of five, Ammarie Reyes, says her eldest son was shot dead on Sunday night while taking chocolates to his Valentine.
Reyes’ son, Kenton Williams, died after being shot multiple times while walking along Ramdhanie Trace, Indian Walk, Moruga, a short distance away from his home.
According to eyewitnesses, Williams, 22, was walking along the roadway around 8.10 pm on Sunday night when gunmen ran out from behind a concrete wall and began shooting at police who were in the area on enquiries.
“I was standing by the tree when I see Kenton pass, the same time two police officers were interviewing the neighbour and a few other people over some private dispute they had,” an eyewitness told the T&T Guardian yesterday.
“I see the fellas come out from behind the concrete wall, they were dressed in all black and they start shooting at the police.”
“I see the fire from the gun when the shots bust, then the police started shooting back. Kenton started to run and he get caught by the bullets.”
Williams, who worked as a cashier in a mini-mart on the corner of Ramdhanie Street, collapsed in the front yard of another neighbour and died on the scene.
“The fellas run back behind the wall, I don’t know if they went and hide in the bush or what and Kenton just fall down right there and died...he was never in nothing with nobody. It real unfair for he to get kill so.”
The eyewitness claimed Williams was shot by police.
“Is the police bullets that pick up with him. The young police man was here last night among all the villagers, saying he should have never shot back, that if he did only know he wouldn’t shoot.” But that claim has been disputed by the Police Service.
Contacted yesterday for comment, head of the Corporate Communications department in the T&T Police Service, Ellen Lewis, said the shooting has not been deemed as a police-involved shooting.
“The shooting is being investigated by homicide and has not yet been deemed a police shooting,” she said.
Lewis said she could provide no further information, as the investigation was ongoing.
Meanwhile, Reyes appeared to be still stunned from the news.
She recalled the last time she spoke to Williams, saying, “He just say he was going down St Mary’s to check somebody. He was carrying a chocolate for a friend for Valentine’s.”
She described Williams as hardworking and quiet.
“He never harass nobody, he would get little jobs here and there and save his money. He used to come and go, he would listen to music on his phone all the time, he never get lock up or anything.”
She called for justice for her child, pleading for him to not just be another statistic.
“I want justice for my child, I want the person who shoot him and kill him to get lock up, I want justice for him so he could rest in peace. I want him to get justice and not be a next number who get gun down.”
An autopsy was expected to be done at the Forensic Science Centre in St James yesterday.
Ballistic tests will determine whether the fatal bullet came from a police-issued firearm or another, investigators said.