Relatives of the man who police say donned a woman’s wig in order to ambush and kill reputed gang leader Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis are not fearful of any reprisals that may come from his murder.
Speaking at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday Paul Sharpe, the older brother of Thomas “Hamza” Sharpe, 32, said he was a straight-forward guy.
Sharpe, police said, was killed by Alexis during a shootout at Alexis’ business on Sunday afternoon. Sharpe, a father of two, was originally from Naimool Street, Caroni, but was residing at Crown Trace, Chaguanas.
Yesterday, even as police increased patrols in the Enterprise area as they braced for reprisal killings, the older Sharpe said: “My brother was a very good fella, is just that he did not like advantage. He is a straightforward guy. I don’t know exactly what caused the rift between himself and Mr Alexis. I really don’t know what really happened this time.
“We don’t fear. We come from a community that doesn’t fear. We are a Muslim family so we will leave all things in the hands of Allah. But we will not fear.”
Sharpe added that his brother and Alexis once had an altercation and his brother hit Alexis with a shovel, but outside of that he had no idea how their relationship had reached to such a violent point.
“I was shocked and sad too because I used to talk to him. I know he was the kind of person that did not like advantage so I used to talk to him,” Sharpe said.
“I understand that Robocop had interfered with him before, but in self-defence he hit Robocop with a shovel. But that was a long time ago.”
He said in the time they spent at the Forensic Science Centre (FSC) yesterday, there was no animosity between his relatives and those of Alexis. Both families were told to return to the FSC today for the autopsies, as none of the three pathologists was available to conduct the autopsies yesterday.
According to police reports, around 4.30 pm on Sunday, Alexis, a self-employed businessman of Corner Railway Road and Southern Main Road, Enterprise, Chaguanas, was at his business on Freedom Street, Chaguanas, when he was ambushed and killed. Kevin Escayg, 43, a project manager of Saldenah Terrace, Macoya, was killed while his son, Kirchard Scott, five, was shot in the abdomen while at Alexis’ carwash.
Sharpe, dressed in a black wig, had initially walked onto the compound to talk to Alexis, who recognised him. But soon after, a number of reputed Unruly Isis members pulled up in a silver Nissan Almera and opened fire. Alexis shoved his granddaughter into a nearby vehicle and it was then he realised Sharpe was one of the attackers. The two men struggled and Alexis was shot but he also managed to shoot Sharpe. Escayg, who was also close friends with Alexis, was shot trying to shield his son from the bullets of the other men.
Police said yesterday that Scott was shot in the left side of his abdomen and the bullet exited the right side, damaging his intestines. Scott remained at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, in a serious condition yesterday. The killing of the three men took the murder toll to 246 for the year compared to 221 last year.
Attempts to speak with relatives of Escayg yesterday were unsuccessful.