Two men and a woman have been killed in Chaguanas. The killings have taken the toll for 2017 to 485 for the year up to late yesterday. In the same incident, another woman was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot, while a 15-month-old baby was grazed by a bullet. According to police, around 5 am yesterday, gunmen entered a small board house at Bridel Road, Jerningham Junction, Cunupia and rained bullets on the occupants. Dead are Roberta James, 27, Keston James, 28 and Wellington Thomas, 31.
The couple and Wellington were asleep along with the infants and Roberta's three-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. James also has a five-year-old son from another relationship, but he was not at the house when the attack took place. Senior Superintendent Kenny Mc Intire, who was on the scene, said police could not find any motive for the killing since the deceased were involved in the scrap iron business and appeared to be law abiding citizens.
He said "For any person to die under these circumstance is tragic, I understand they were law abiding citizens, we are putting our best teams on this and have started inquiries immediately."
Mc Intire said when police got to the scene around 5.40 am, a female occupant of the house told the police she was shot along with three other people in the house. Mc Intire said the woman was rushed to the hospital along with the infant. James' daughter was taken to the home of a nearby relative. Relatives of the deceased were left baffled about the motive for the killings and described both men as hard working.
Vandana Mohit, councillor for Cunupia in the Chaguanas Borough Corporation, was at the scene. Mohit said “This is unfortunate that three people were murdered, this is a very peaceful village, but the murder rate has been rising in the Chaguanas area in the past few months. We are seeing crime getting out of control in T&T and people are no longer feeling safe.” Mohit said police have been doing numerous patrols in the area, but described Chaguanas and the Cunupia area in general as the new crime hot spot. "This area is now becoming a crime hot spot,” she added.