Two weeks after his cousin was stabbed to death by another cousin, a St Joseph man was gunned down in what was initially thought to be a reprisal hit for the murder of a gang leader in the area.
According to police reports, around 9 pm on Thursday, Kerwayne John, of Caiman Road, St Joseph was at a bar along the Maracas Royal Road, when a gunman entered and ordered everyone not to move.
Other patrons ran leaving John, a labourer at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), behind. John was shot and later taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where he died.
The shooting was first thought to be a reprisal for the murder of Kerlan "Miceman" George, who earlier had been murdered along with Shameel Ali, after leaving the Maracas Valley Police Station hours earlier. Police said the killings were not related and suspected John might have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James yesterday a relative of John's said the 23-year-old, father of two, was not involved in anything illegal. The relatives said John was the type of person to never back down and believed that this may have led to his death.
On January 9, Nigel John, 33, and his cousin got into an argument after John tried to recover $40 he lent the man. During the fight John was stabbed and later died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.
A suspect was held and questioned in relation to the death but was later released pending further investigations.