One of the most wanted men in South Trinidad lost his left foot after being shot by police in Piparo on Friday, after he and two other men were caught on the way to execute a crime.
The 27-year-old San Fernando man is currently before the courts on firearm-related charges and was being sought by Homicide detectives for a murder a few months ago.
In January 2016, the suspect was shot in the head during a gunfight with another notorious criminal over the murder of his brother. The man accused of killing the suspect’s brother was later fatally shot by police in Princes Town last November.
Around 7.05 am on Friday, someone called Princes Town police and reported seeing three occupants in a gold Nissan Tiida hatchback with stickers on the bonnet and door along Dindial Road, Piparo. The informant told police the men were acting suspicious. When Sgt Ramlogan and Cpl Richardson responded they found the car parked along the roadside. As the officers approached, the suspect got out of the back seat and pulled out a gun. The officers fired two shots and the suspect ran into the bushes on the roadside.
The officers then approached the car and found a 55-year-old Gasparillo man and a 63-year-old La Romaine man seated in the driver and front passenger seats. The men both work at a chemical company in South Trinidad. On the back seat was a Glock 17 pistol loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition, a Taurus pistol loaded with 10 rounds and a sawed-off shotgun with six rounds.
Officers from the Princes Town CID and Southern Division Task Force were deployed to search for the runaway suspect. The other suspects were taken to the Princes Town Police Station where they remained up to last night. A trace of the car showed it was a rental. Police believe the stickers were placed on the car to commit a crime.
Sometime later, residents contacted police telling them that a strange man was seen hobbling along the road. When Ramlogan and Richardson returned with PCs Balgobin, Jackman and Isaac, they found the first suspect limping along Pancho Lane, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the leg. As he saw the police, he tried to run back into the bushes, but collapsed .
He was taken to the Williamsville Health Centre where he was stabilised, but police had to take him to the Princes Town District Health Facility because there was no ambulance. The suspect was then transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital. Investigators were told doctors had to amputate his foot during surgery.
There were suspicions that the men were there to execute someone based on the amount of weapons they had and that the injured suspect was hired to lead the mission. Police praised the residents for their observation of the suspects and their willingness in contacting with the police.