Police are investigating two more murders, one of them outside a birthday party in San Fernando early yesterday.
In the latest case, San Fernando police are trying to determine whether the murder of Kernel John, who was gunned down on Kitchener Street yesterday, is linked to the killing of Pleasantville welder Keron Browne.
Police said John, 20, also known as Kernel Harridass, was attending a birthday party in Marabella when around 12.05 am he was approached by three men wearing dark clothing while standing on the road.
Witnesses told police they heard explosions and then saw the men firing shots at John. As he fell to the ground the men ran into a Toyota Hilux pickup and escaped. John was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital but was dead on arrival.
Relatives at his home at Victoria Street, San Fernando, declined to comment on his death yesterday. No one had been arrested up to last evening.
Police are also yet to arrest anyone for Browne’s murder which occurred around 10 pm on Saturday.
Browne, 21, of Pleasantville, was shot more than ten times after leaving home to collect money from someone who owed him. Police said he and three other people were in a silver car travelling along Ocean Drive, Claxton Bay.
The driver stopped so Browne and a friend could get out to urinate. However, a car pulled up alongside the men and the occupants opened fire on them before the driver pulled off. Brown was hit several times and died on the scene but his friend escaped unhurt.
In the first incident, police attached to the La Horquetta area say they are bracing for further gun attacks following the murder of a Diego Martin man in the area on Sunday night.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, senior officers in the division said they had kept the area relatively quiet recently but with Sunday’s murder of Ricardo Grant they believe the community may once again become a hot spot.
According to police reports, Grant, 28, was with friends at Jacaranda Boulevard, Phase Four, around 9 pm, when an argument started. Police said the argument was over non-payment for drugs Grant took on consignment.
Police added that last week Grant was beaten for his failure to produce the money and ordered to pay it or else he would face consequences. During Sunday’s lime the money discussion resurfaced and Grant was shot twice by one of his friends.
Grant was rushed to the Arima Health Facility where he died. Despite being with a number of people when he was shot, police said no one saw what happened, not even a man who was hit by a spent shell as it ejected from the pistol used in the attack.
Police said when the drug blocks within the area were under control there was relative peace and with Grant’s killing they would now pay extra attention to those blocks.