While the visit of Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro took centre stage yesterday, murderers continued to take lives, leaving four men dead and another nursing gunshot wounds in South and east Port-of-Spain.
There were 192 murders up to late yesterday.
There is yet to be closure for any of the families of these men as police have not arrested any suspects. In the latest murder, Piparo taxi driver, Anand “Lucky” Mohammed, was shot dead outside his house on Sunday night.
Police said around 7.30 pm, Mohammed, 52, of Stone Road, Piparo, had just parked his purple Nissan B14 in his garage.
Neighbours reported they heard a loud explosion and later found him lying in front his car, bleeding from a wound to his head.
Officers from Central and Southern divisions, including ASP Cooper, Insp Pooran, Sgt Toolaram, Sgt Ramlogan, Sgt Ali and homicide detectives PC Lutchman and WPC Ransome, visited the scene.
Mohammed, who is also a landlord, was liming at Roland’s Bar, Tabaquite, earlier when an argument broke out. Patrons said Mohammed approached another man and they began to argue.
He left the bar shortly after and it was believed he was followed home and shot in the head. It was only a few days ago that Mohammed moved from his home at Chickland Road, Caparo, and had moved the last of his stuff on Sunday.
Drive-by shooting
in La Brea
Despite frequent police patrols through La Brea on Sunday night, gunmen were able to execute a daring hit on the life of Akille Francis along the busy Southern Main Road.
Francis, 31, of La Fortune Road, Point Fortin, was walking along the main road around 6.30 pm when a Nissan Tiida drove alongside him.
Witnesses said the occupants opened the windows and shot him several times before speeding off.
Police responded quickly and he was taken to the Point Fortin Area Hospital in an officer’s personal vehicle. However, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Victim covered in bed
after being murdered
It was a traumatic Sunday evening for 19-year-old Sonny Pulchan who pulled a bedsheet to wake his uncle Kelvin Ramnarine, only to discover him dead with his throat slit.
Investigators believe Ramnarine, 31, of Rig Road, Fyzabad, was killed since Saturday. It appeared he was sleeping when his killer sliced his throat and took the bedsheet and covered his body.
At his Fyzabad home yesterday, Pulchan said he went looking for Ramnarine around 5.30 pm as no one had seen him that day. Despite calling several times, he said his uncle did not answer so he decided to climb through a window which had no louvres.
“I called about three times but he did not answer and the doors were locked from the inside. I jumped through the window and saw him lying on the bed, covered from his head to his shin.
‘I thought he was just sleeping so I pulled the sheet and his face was white and there was blood on his lips. I pulled back the sheet some more and saw his neck slit. I just jumped back through the window and called his neighbour, Slimey, and he called the police,” Pulchan said.
Ramnarine’s sister, Indra Vallie, said it was unlike her brother to stay home all day and not come to their home. She said his murder was puzzling since she did not know of anyone wanting to kill him and most of the residents in the area were his family.
Man shot in the hip
Despite being shot twice, a Fyzabad man was not seriously injured when gunmen opened fire on him and his friends yesterday morning.
Reports stated that Anjel William, 21, of Dubarry Street, Nigel Williams of Winston Campbell Street and another friend, known as Akiel of Brian London Street, Fyzabad, were walking along Khan Trace around 2.30 am.
They told police that as they walked onto Winston Campbell Street, they heard several gunshots and ran off. Anjel Williams was shot twice in his hip while the other men escaped.
He was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital by friends where he was treated and discharged. There was gunshot damage to the nearby Republic Bank branch. However officers said it was minor.