Two-year-old Kayla Edwards miraculously escaped injuries when gunmen shot and injured her mother Keisha, who was holding her, and ended the life of her father, Don, on Sunday night.
The gunmen, who came calling at the Edwards’ Rivulet Road, Couva, home, also shot Edwards’ niece, Conchita Rowe, in the knee and badly beat her nephew Emmanuel Rowe, 17.
The injured were treated at hospital and discharged.
Ornin Rowe, Edwards’ nephew, gave an account yesterday of the terror to which the gunmen subjected his family.
He said his uncle, a scrap iron dealer, was shot at the back of his head and neck by gunmen who called him out of his home on Sunday night.
Rowe said around 7.30 pm his uncle went outside to make enquiries when the men called. He said Edwards called out to his wife to get him a torchlight.
Rowe said Keisha turned and was heading back into the house when she heard two loud gunshots. When Keisha looked outside she saw her husband lying in a pool of blood.
“She (Keisha) ran inside and my nephew Emmanuel tried to close the door.”
Emmanuel was not quick enough as three men followed inside.
“One of the gunmen fired four times. My sister (Conchita) got shot in her knee. Another gunman hold on to Emmanuel and was beating him,” Rowe said.
“Conchita started to bawl and tell them to leave him alone. They hit her two gun butts. Keisha was holding her baby, Kyla, two, and the man pointed a firearm at her and shot her.”
Ornin said the bullet grazed Keisha on the head and she fell to the ground. He said the gunmen thought she was seriously injured and moved on to rob the family of some $1,700 in cash as well as video equipment which was connected to surveillance cameras around the house.
Asked if his uncle had any enemies or was threatened, Ornin, who worked with him in the scrap iron business, said he knew of no threats.
“But it (scrap iron) is a very risky business and sometimes business transactions could go bad,” he added.
Officers from the Couva CID, Task Force and other units visited the scene and are continuing investigations.
In a separate incident Central Division Police are also investigating the death of Levi Peters, 19, of Railway Road, central Trinidad.
Peters was shot several times about the body on Friday night and died on the scene. Region Three Homicide believes his death was due to a deal that went sour.