A teenage girl was found bound and murdered at the bottom of a precipice yesterday morning, two weeks after the strangled body of Rachel Ramkissoon, another teenager, was found in a forested area.
Police said relatives and neighbours began searching for Ameena Thomas, 17, after she failed to return to her Wall Street, Calvary Hill home Thursday night. Yesterday, her neighbours found her body not to far from the mosque she attends and a short distance away from her ex-husband's Carlile Hamilton's Calvary Branch Road Extension home. Her hands were tied with black tie straps and her face was blown off.
Police believe she was killed to send a message to Hamilton, who police believe was in the intended target.
Hamilton himself was shot three times around 9.30 pm on Thursday, but survived. The 33-year-old, who police said had been charged for arms and ammunition, was unable to say if his ex-wife was with him when he was attacked, however, as he was in and out of consciousness yesterday.
It was only when relatives began searching after hearing about Hamilton's shooting and not seeing Thomas that the search began at the first sight of daylight and ended around noon.
Speaking with media at the teen's home yesterday, Jamal Jeffers, the child's stepfather, said Thomas, whose Christian name was Celine Thomas, wanted to be a nurse. He said she was always quiet and was dedicated to her faith. A member of the mosque she attends said Thomas was last seen at sunset prayers. Jeffers said the killers did not have to end Thomas' life and the sight of her in the bushes, with flies buzzing around her, was too horrific and will forever be in the memories of those who loved her.
"It was his birthday gone recently and she went up as far as we know to talk and discuss some things. We don't know what to say at this time, we looking for justice.
"We have to get that. If the police can't do it we will have to do it some way or the other. She wanted to do the right thing and be on the right path," Jeffers said.
Police said the shooting and murder was the result of a falling out with Unruly Isis members and rival gang members in the Calvary Hills area. Unruly Isis is a gang based in Enterprise, Chaguanas, which is said to be a spin-off of the Muslim gang.
Police said Thomas was killed PIERREfor her association with Hamilton and believe she might have been killed to silence her or to send a message.
A member of the Al Jabal Mosque, Sakin Abdul Wahhab, where Thomas worshipped, said he was unsure why gunmen would want to harm Hamilton. He added that Thomas, who attends the mosque regularly, was there for prayer and would usually be there for Islamic studies but didn't attend Thursday night. He added that checks were done and no one saw her, but they thought little of it as she may have gone home, which is walking distance away. Wahhab said the entire mosque and by extension the community was upset by Thomas' killing, which they described as "nonsense."
Angry residents held a brief fiery protest over what they said was police's lack of attention to them in the area. They said they are constantly ignored by police when they report incidents of shootings and believe had police responded in a timely manner Thomas' killing may have been avoided.
?Bandits killed by bar owner
In an unrelated incident, Charles Samuel Smith, 75, of Silica Sands Road, Wallerfield, was shot once by thieves who broke into his home on Thursday.
Police said around 6.20 pm, Smith's wife left him at home to attend church. When she returned about two hours later she found her home broken into, rummaged through and her husband dead in the bathroom.
Up to late last night police were also investigating the shooting deaths of two bandits and the fire-bombing of their intended getaway car.
According to police reports, around 6.30 pm three armed men entered the Cool Breeze Bar and attempted to rob the owner and patron. However, the owner opened fire on the bandits and three of them were shot, two died and one was injured. A patron was also injured in the shoot-out.
After the shooting, angry residents then fire-bombed the men's getaway vehicle.
Up to press time there had been no identification of the dead bandits.