Inseparable teenage cousins —Osama Washington and HakeemCharles — were murdered justafter they awoke to pray at their home at Dump Road, Heights ofGuanapo, Arima, yesterday.
Police said residents heard gunshotsaround 6.30 am and laterfound Washington, 16, and Charles,18, bleeding from gunshot wounds. Washington died in the housewhile officers took Charles to theArima Health Facility where hedied.
This latest double murderoccurred five days after anothertwo teens were executed. Last Friday,the bodies of Enterprise residentsZion Salvary, 16, and JeremiahBrown, 18, were found by a Water and Sewage Authority(WASA) employee in Valencia.Each teen had been shot threetimes at close range in the back oftheir heads.
Their hands were tied behindtheir backs and they were madeto kneel facing each other beforethey were shot. The teens wereburied yesterday, the T&TGuardian was told. Speaking yesterday, friends of Charles and Washington said thetwo were innocent. When the T&TGuardian visited the scene, a groupof men said they shared the homewith the deceased and they wouldget justice for the “disrespect.” One man, who did not want tobe identified, said the two gunmenattempted to shoot him too butmissed.
“Them (killers) come for everybody.Is about four to five peoplewas staying here. Them boys waslike my children, them grow withme. Them used to call me father.Justice has to be served, is twoyouths, 15 and 17, them ain’t getto see life yet,” the man said.
Asked about a possible motivefor the attack, the man, who saidthe murder scene was once achicken farm, claimed it may havehad something to do with an incidentinvolving another teen in thearea months ago.He also suggested that corruptpolice officers may have beenresponsible for the death of theyouths.
The men said the killers openedfire through windows in the housebefore escaping in a waiting vehicle.One of the men said Charleswas arrested by police last Fridayand released on Monday. He addedthat Charles, himself and otherswere released around 3 am fromthe Cumuto Police Station and toldto walk home, which they did.
Up the hills of Heights of Guanapo,near the abandoned sitewhere a religious adviser to formerprime minister Patrick Manningsought to erect a church, relativesof the cousins, who lived a stone’sthrow away from each other, saidthey were inseparable from as farback as could be remembered.
The men, who also did not wantto be identified, said the mothersof the teens were sisters who weregreat mothers. The women weretoo distraught to speak.Autopsies were to be done onthe teens yesterday but relativessaid they were not emotionally stable to view the bodies and theywere put off to today. The threemen said the teens both came from“strong family backgrounds.”
Their killings pushed the toll forthe year to 333.