Two Carapichaima residents remained hospitalised at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) last night, after they were shot by a gunman who disrupted their birthday lime.
Roberta Modeste, 36, her cousin Winsley, 28, and an 11-year-old girl were said to be stable yesterday, after the gunman opened fire on them as they were celebrating a birthday on Sunday night along the roadway near the Brickfield Recreation Club.
Yesterday, however, villagers were hailing Roberta as a hero, saying her intervention allowed her relatives and villagers to eventually restrain the gunman, who was beaten before the cops were called in.
Police said shortly before 8 pm, the gunman, a 57-year-old deportee, walked up to the group, pointed a gun at them and opened fire.
Winsley, who was celebrating his birthday, was shot and wounded, but Modeste’s brothers tackled the gunman in an attempt to take away the gun. On seeing this, Roberta ran towards the gunman, even as he again managed to open fire, this time hitting her in both legs. The 11-year-old girl was also hit.
The brothers eventually subdued the gunman and with the help of villagers, who by then had also run to their assistance, and beat him before the cops arrived to arrest him. The three residents and the suspect were taken to the SFGH for treatment.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, residents, who did not to be identified because they were afraid for their lives, said they had noticed the suspect driving his vehicle slowly along the roadway watching the activities earlier.
“He then parked his car, put on a mask, walked up to the group and began shooting up the place,” a villager said.
Villagers said the man was deported from the United States about ten years ago after allegedly serving a prison sentence there. They claimed since his return to the village, after spending a total of about 25 years away, he has turned their lives into a living hell.
“He would always threaten us, harass us and interfere with us. Several times he would beat up people in the area and always threatening to kill,” one villager said.
“On one occasion he called out all the names of the people in the area who he said he had bullets for.”
Several reports against the man were made over the years by Brickfield residents to the Freeport Police Station and several people had restraining orders against him, the T&T Guardian was told. But villagers said he never took heed of warnings from the police and never obeyed the restraining orders.
“We feel hurt over what happened here in our village last night (Sunday). It is not a nice thing,” villagers said.
“We are disappointed because it was an unprovoked attack, despite the many reports in the past. The evidence is overwhelming on this man (suspect) and it is very sad to know the situation has reached to this.
“Imagine the magistrate tell him to stay away from us and he went and buy a gun. Could you imagine what would happen next if he comes back out here? The man already told us that he is not afraid of jail because he went through that already (in the US).”
Another villager added, “We hope that the police do their job now. We want the police to do their job and get us justice.
Family members, however, were initially upset after hospital officials put Winsley and the suspect on beds next to each other before the police could put security arrangements in place. But Winsely was moved after they raised their concerns. The suspect remained warded under police guard last night.
Officers from the Freeport Police Station and Couva CID are continuing their investigations, but villagers said they were yet to be visited by police for statements up to yesterday.
This was the second incident in which people at a birthday lime in the village were attacked over the weekend.
On Saturday, Kendel Boyce, 32, was killed while Derron Richards, Andrew Anderson and Antonio Anderson were shot by a gunman as they were liming at a birthday party at a house along Wyaby Road.
Police said Boyce, Richards and the Andersons were sitting on the trunk of a parked car when an AD Wagon, which had just passed them, turned back and as the vehicle neared them a second time a gunman leaned out and opened fire.
Richards is fighting for his life after being hit in the abdomen and leg; Andrew Anderson was shot in the knee caps and left eye, which he lost, and Antonio was hit in the left leg.