Hours before the Government and the Opposition met to engage in crime talks, two Belmont friends were shot dead near their homes on Thursday night, raising the murder toll for the year to 310.
According to reports, around 11.25 pm, William Louis, 34, and Rahim Marshall, 23, were liming at the side of the road at Roget Place, Belmont, when residents reported hearing a volley of gunshots.
When residents went outside to check they found both men lying at the side of the road with gunshot wounds to their chest and heads. Louis and Marshall were taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Speaking to reporters after Louis' autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre in St James yesterday, his sister Nkita Mohammed said her family was shocked and traumatised by his killing, as he was the second of their relatives to be murdered in the past four years. In November 2012, Mohammed's husband, Kevon Butler, a former employee with the Ministry of Labour, was shot dead at Pashley Street, Port-of-Spain.
"We still can't believe it. We didn't think we would have to go through this again, especially with him (Louis)," Mohammed said.
Mohammed said her brother, a CEPEP worker with four children, was "miserable" when he was younger, but had matured into a quiet and peaceful adult.
"People would say this is gang-related but it is not, he was never in a gang and would not kill people," Mohammed said.
Asked if they could think of a reason for her brother's killing, Mohammed revealed that hours after the shooting another friend told their family that Louis had told him his life had been threatened.
"He said that William told him that he had gotten robbed at gunpoint and he was fed up of people taking advantage of him. We do not know who they are because he would not talk to us about his troubles," Mohammed said.
No ID on Caura body
Meanwhile, Homicide detectives are seeking the public's assistance in identifying a man whose body was found in a forested area in Caura on Thursday.
Police said around 11 am on Thursday, three men were hiking when they found the victim at the bank of a pool along the river. The man was lying face-down and had serious head injuries. Police were summoned to the scene and the victim's body was removed. Police said a large blood-stained rock was found near the body and they believe it was used to kill the victim.
The victim is of African decent and was wearing in grey T-shirt and blue shorts. Anyone with information which may help identify the victim is asked to contact Region Two Homicide Bureau detectives at 640-1738 or 640-5886.