David “Sugars” Gittens lengthy run from the law ended in death on Wednesday when he was killed in a shootout with police in Point Fortin.
Gittens, who had outstanding warrants dating back to 2008 for firearm-related offences, was suspected in at least five murders between Point Fortin and Cedros.
He is also suspected in Monday’s savage killing of PH taxi driver Keston Jeffrey. Police said Gittens had no fixed address as he had been hiding in the forest between Chatham and Cap-de-Ville for years and despite several searches, he could not be found.
A report stated that around 3.30 pm Wednesday, South Western Division Task Force, including Sgt Khan, Cpl Andrews and Cpl George were on an anti-crime exercise when they got word of Gittens' location at a house under construction along the Guapo/Cap-de-Ville Road.
When the officers arrived, Gittens was seen running down a flight of stairs with a pistol in hand.
Police said despite several warnings to drop it, Gittens continued to approach the officers who opened fire, hitting him several times. The officers took him to the Point Fortin Area Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. A pistol with eight rounds of ammunition was recovered from the scene.
Investigators said they were probing whether Gittens was involved in Jeffrey’s murder because of proximity of his hideout to where Jeffrey was last seen aliveon Monday.
On Monday afternoon, someone called police, saying that they saw three assailants beating a man along North Trace, Cap-de-Ville.
When they arrived, they found Jeffrey’s white Nissan Sunny B-14 in a river. A hacksaw blade and a sharp instrument were found along the roadside. About16 hours later, Jeffrey, 23, of Egypt Village, Point Fortin, was found dead. His body was hidden under a culvert, his foot sawed off and he had several stab wounds.
His mother, Theresa Liverpool, told the Guardian that on Monday, Jeffrey left home with $7,000 to purchase a new engine.
The money and Jeffrey’s gold chain are also missing.