Like many of his neighbours, Rasheed Alexander was unable to find a job and he, along with eight others, had decided on Monday to sign up for courses at the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC).
However, that dream of becoming a mason died along with him when he was shot dead by police at a neighbour’s home yesterday.
Hours later, Central Division Task Force officers were seen rummaging through his Mungal Trace, Orange Field, Carapichaima, home, searching for guns they believed he had hid denthere.
According to a report, officers were on patrol around 2.40 am when they saw Alexander, 21, and three other men standing behind a white Nissan AD Wagon.
As the police vehicle drew closer, police said Alexander ran into a neighbour’s yard. Three officers chased after him and when they caught up with him, according to police he took out a gun from his pants and ran to the back of the house.
Officers said despite calls for him to surrender, he turned on them and opened fire.
Police returned fire, shooting Alexander six times, five times in the chest and once in the left hand. They took him to the Chaguanas District Health Facility where he died while being treated. Crime scene investigators found a 9 mm Beretta pistol fitted with an extended magazine at the scene.
Alexander’s father, Donny, disputed the police account. He admitted his son had a gun but insisting that it was not loaded.
He said only on Monday he told his son to get a job and stop liming with bad company. He said he warned his son he would either be locked up or police would “deal with him.”
Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, he said his son was not a criminal and had no criminal past.
“Them (police) does live by a law that says innocent until proven guilty but them don’t practise it. Them is the law and what they say go. Now you can’t beat your own children but them could beat and kill your child. Nothing will come of this because them is the law.
“If my son was a wicked fella and the police lick him down then I would have said that he live by the sword and he die by the sword but he didn’t live so. It have parents who will cover up for their children but that is not so, if my son was wicked and bad I would say he was wicked and bad. He did not deserve to die so. He make one gun mistake and they execute he. My son never get lock up yet or police never come by me all my life,” he said.
Police investigating the shooting said that swabs were taken from Alexander’s hand to determine if he fired a weapon prior to being killed by police.
His father said he intended to take his son’s killing to the Police Complaints Authority for justice as he believes he will get no justice otherwise.
Yesterday, as neighbours cut grass and assembled tents for the wake, a community activist said it was just yesterday that he spent some time chatting with Alexander and other young men in the community. He said they were all decent and were very respectful to him and his wife.
“Those young fellas are home, out of school. Just yesterday I had a chat with them because I got somebody from NESC to come here with some forms. He (Alexander) wanted to do masonry. Those fellas were good boys. I cut this piece of land I have next to my house and grade it so every evening they played football here.”
The retired engineer said he wanted to get Alexander and the other young men back in school because he felt young people in T&T were losing their direction. He said the young men in his community were protective of his family and would even check his home while they were away.
“I have respect for them and they have respect for me.”
ASP Jackman is carrying out investigations.