Gun violence continued to ravage communities in north Trinidad yesterday with three men being shot dead in Laventille, San Juan and Beetham, respectively, between Tuesday night and yesterday morning.The three killings raised the murder toll for the year to 66.The latest killing took place shortly after midday yesterday at Hell Yard in Beetham Gardens, mere minutes after scores of police and T&T Regiment officers flooded the community in search of illegal firearms, ammunition and narcotics.
According to reports, Carol Daniel was washing clothes in her backyard when she heard two men arguing with her 28-year-old son, Darryl.Daniel told police that when she walked to the front of her house to check on the commotion, she saw the men attacking her son.She said the two men accused her son of being a police informant and blamed him for the anti-crime exercise, which was conducted between 4 am and 11 am yesterday.
Eye on Crime 2012-02-20
Police said after a short scuffle, one of the men, who was masked, drew a firearm and shot Darryl several times in the chest. Before running away through a nearby track, Daniel said, the other suspect lit and threw a molotov cocktail towards her wooden house.Investigators said the house was engulfed in flames within minutes and was completely destroyed before fire officers were able to respond.
The wounded man was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries around 2.30 pm.Senior police sources yesterday expressed shock over the incident as it occurred while law enforcement officers were still in close proximity.Almost three hours before Daniel was attacked, a 48-year-old man suffered a similar fate at his Straker Village, Laventille, home.
Police said around 10.30 am, Floyd Corridon was sitting at Picton Road, Laventille, when he was approached by a man he knew.Eyewitnesses told police that after arguing for a couple of minutes, the man drew a pistol from his waist and pointed it at Corridon's head. The man reportedly tried to discharge the weapon, but it failed to fire.
Corridon, realising that the gun had malfunctioned, ran away through Straker Village towards his home which is about 200 metres away.Police said the gunman chased after Corridon and confronted him a second time. This time the gunman was successful, shooting Corridon more than ten times in the head and chest.Corridon was pronounced dead on the scene by a district medical officer.
ASP Ajith Persad and Cpls Paul and Degale are investigating the murders of both Daniel and Corridon.Meanwhile, police are investigating the murder of a 28-year-old man who was shot dead at his San Juan home on Tuesday night.Reports said that around 10.30 pm, Kyle Williams, of Prizgar Lands, San Juan, was at home with his girlfriend when the couple heard a knocking on their front door.
Williams went to investigate and was greeted by two gunmen who shot him several times in the chest. They then ran into an getaway vehicle which was parked outside.Williams was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His girlfriend was not harmed.Detectives of the Region Two Homicide Bureau are probing his murder.