Robber shot dead in carpark by PoS businessman

The quick reflexes of a Port-of-Spain businessman were commended by police yesterday after he shot dead a 44-year-old man who tried to rob him of his truck. According to reports, around 9.15 am, the 47-year-old businessman was about to enter his vehicle in a carpark on Henry Street, Port-of-Spain, when he was confronted by a gunman. The man, who was dressed in a green T-shirt and jeans, pointed a revolver at the businessman and demanded the keys to his Mazda BT-50 pickup truck, along with his cash and other belongings. Police said the businessman, who runs a wholesale store metres away from the carpark, drew his licensed 9mm gun and shot the bandit three times in the chest at point-blank range.

The bandit, who was later identified as Lyndon Everson Marshall of La Brea, collapsed on the ground and died a few minutes later. He was pronounced dead on the scene by a District Medical Officer (DMO) and his body was taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James, where a post-mortem will be done on his body later today. The loaded .38 revolver that Marshall used in the attempted robbery was recovered near his body, police said. Detectives took it to the Forensic Science Centre, where ballistic testing will be done in the next couple of weeks to determine if the weapon was used in recent shootings and murders across Trinidad, investigators said.

Marshall was said to be known to the police and is believed to have been recently deported from the United States after serving a prison term there. When a news team from the T&T Guardian visited the scene yesterday morning, scores of people, including curious pedes- trians, surrounded the area to catch a glimpse of Marshall’s body, which was left on the ground while crime scene investigators collected evidence. The businessman and several eyewitness, including the carpark attendant, were ques- tioned by police for several hours after the shooting. Deputy Police Commissioner Mervyn Richardson, Supt Kenny McIntyre and ASP Ajith Persad visited the scene and are probing the shooting.