Vision on a Mission president Wayne Chance believes it was either an act of intimidation or an attempt to shut him up when his car was shot at last Friday. He said so in a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday. "I believe there is a motive to try and intimidate me and discourage me from what I am doing...I have recently embarked on the expanding of VOM's work that would have created some concerns to those who are involved in criminal activities that I may be weakening," Chance said.
The I95.5FM radio talk show host said he had just left the Enchanted Centre Facility in Mt Lambert for home around 11.10 pm on Friday night and on reaching the Sforzata panyard, St Augustine, at 11.15 pm, he heard a loud explosion and his vehicle began to swerve on the road. At the time Chance said he thought it was just a tire blowout, and knowing that it was a high-risk area, he did not stop to change the tire but instead drove to Arouca where he parked his vehicle and went home.
Upon investigating the next morning, Chance said he realised there was a bullet lodged in the rear right tire of his vehicle which had penetrated the steel rim. Chance said from the police report, it was a .45 round and it was fired at close range. He revealed that he had also received death threats when he appeared on Synergy TV over his crime-fighting initiatives eight weeks ago and CID Division Officer Swamber was investigating the matter.
Chance speculated whether the shooting incident was related to his organisation acquiring facilties such as the $2 million rehabilitation centre being built in Wallerfield and most recently in Laventille. Residents where the centres are located are opposed to their location in their community fearing the devaluation of their property and the presence of convicted criminals in their district. "I don't know if it is our recent endeavours to acquire other places which would have triggered a certain response and opposition to me," he said.
