A Trinidadian national has been shot dead near his home in Brooklyn, New York. The NY Times identified the victim as Merv Johnson, the owner of the popular Merv's Bakery in Brooklyn. According to the report Johnson, 68, had just parked his car and was walking to his home on Brooklyn Avenue at about 8.15 pm on Tuesday when he was apparently shot once in the left temple. The NY Times said on most days, lunchtime at Merv's Bakery in Brooklyn meant patrons lined up to buy the fresh-from-the-oven loaves and pastries that made the shop a neighbourhood institution and a destination for those who craved familiarity in the breads of their native Trinidad and Tobago. It said on Wednesday, those regulars were in mourning.
The doors on the Nostrand Avenue shop were shuttered and a few candles, whose flames had been extinguished by the wind, were placed in the front, along with a bouquet of purple flowers in his honour.
A law-enforcement official with knowledge of the case said it did not appear anything had been taken from the victim. His car was locked and there was a clublock on the steering wheel, the official said.
The report quoted an official saying a passerby heard the gunshot and called 911 and a second person drove by and told police he saw Johnson lying face down in the street. For those who knew Johnson, the mysterious circumstances of the crime were just as baffling as the possible motive. He was best known as the keeper of the bakery that had become a place where people would gather to talk Trinidadian politics or catch up about life back home.
It was a don't miss spot for visitors during the West Indian Day Parade. "This is a place all Trinidadians know from home and here. If you want a good bread, go to Merv's on Nostrand Avenue," said Johnson's brother, Alvin. He said the shop was a "mainstay" since it opened 27 years ago. "He was a top baker. People come from all over on Labour Day to buy bread. He's a famous guy. Popular," said Tyrell Bruce, 63, a childhood friend. So popular that he kept as a secret the family recipe to his specialty, butterbread.
In his years as the lead baker and owner of Merv's, Johnson never complained of any trouble in the Crown Heights neighbourhood, according to his brother.
"I was shocked when I heard," said Milton Olfonse, 61, whose Trinidadian fiancée would go to the shop when she wanted to be with her compatriots. "It was a gathering spot for a particular group of people. He was Trini and that's what mattered." The report also said that last week, Johnson was the victim of an attempted robbery at gunpoint but he wasn't hurt, police and relatives said. According to the law enforcement official, Johnson was held up as he entered his home at about 9.15 pm. Alvin said $85 was taken from his brother at the time. The official said it wasn't known if the robbery and the homicide were related.