A violent war between two communities claimed the life of Chaguanas father Rodney “Darkman” Joseph, who was gunned down while on his way to work yesterday.
Luckily for Joseph’s common-law wife, Neisha Richards, the cries of her two-year-old daughter Armani might have saved her life as she ran back to her Lion Drive, Chase Village, home before the gunmen attacked.
Joseph, 40, a security officer with Guardsman Security Serviced Ltd, was shot five times by gunmen, who relatives and neighbours said were targeting people from their area.
A report said Joseph was walking along Orange Field Road, Chase Village, around 5 am when a white vehicle pulled up and gunmen got out. With his back turned, the men opened fire on him before returning to their vehicle and driving off.
When Richards returned to meet him, he was found dead just outside the Orange Field Road, Gospel Hall.
Speaking at her home yesterday, Richards said she would normally walk with Joseph when he leaves home to get picked up for work in Point Fortin. She told him to go ahead and while putting a jersey on Armani, the child cried out, “My daddy dead,” even before she knew he was shot. Within a matter of a second, her husband was shot dead and the suspects gone.
“He has little children, what I’m I going to tell them. My son is nine years old and he had to see his father gunned down so? This could never be right,” Richards cried out.
As the breadwinner of the family, Richards is now left to care for three children, ages two, six and nine. With her birthday coming up next Sunday, plans were underway for a thanksgiving celebration with relatives and neighbours.
She said Richards had even promised the children to take them to Movie Towne and Harry’s Water Park, Rio Claro, with the salary he would have collected tomorrow.
Residents: Three years living in fear
Neighbours said three years ago, a group of boys from Beetham Gardens, Port-of-Spain, moved into Lion Drive and during J’Ouvert celebrations, were involved in an altercation with some residents of Mandela Street.
Since then, a war has broken out and they said men from Mandela Street have been targeting them. Richards said while certain people were involved in that incident three years ago, her husband never meddled.
Her sister, Keisha said several people have been attacked and threatened, and Joseph’s death was the second since the war broke out. She said numerous reports and complaints were made to police, but no one seems to care.
While the grievance was originally with four men from their community, she said everyone is now being targeted. So much so that on July 21, residents were at the birthday party when gunmen came into the community and opened fire. She said women and children alike had to scamper for safety and luckily no one was injured.
“We get no justice from the Freeport station especially. They’re waiting for mothers and children to drop dead before they do anything. These young fellas here do not retaliate, they just came here looking for a different life, but the police want here to become just like Enterprise,” Keisha said.
Several residents of Lion Drive attended Boom Champions 94.1 FM’s Wet and Skimpy party at the Arima Velodrome on Saturday night and she believes the gunmen were waiting for their return. She said with the attacks on their lives, residents are very careful about their movements. No one has been arrested for Joseph’s murder and they are not confident that anyone will be.