The lives of five families were forever changed by criminals who left a trail of anguish on Tuesday night when they took the lives of five men in separate incidents.
Rock bassist Shivan Ramdhanie, Rio Claro father Clifton “Bess” Jeffery, Navet farmer Lalbeharry Ramoutar and Superintendent of Prisons Wayne Jackson and Juma McKell were all murdered within 24 hours.
In the latest incident, Juma McKell died at the Arima Health Facility hours after being shot several times about the body at Phase Four, La Horquetta, around 4 pm yesterday.
Meanwhile, Ramdhanie, 28, of Kanhai Road, Barrackpore, was shot dead while liming with friends at Trooper’s Bar along Mohess Road, Barrackpore.
Ramdhanie and his rock band, BON CANE, had practiced earlier at the bar as they were preparing to go on tour in Guyana and Suriname next month. It was the norm for the group to meet with friends and have a few drinks after practice.
Reports stated that around 11.30 pm, a white Nissan Sunny B-15 pulled up in the road and two masked gunmen got out. CCTV footage from the bar showed that Ramdhanie never saw the gunmen as his back was turned.
The video showed Ramdhanie and a friend sitting around a table on a porch. Two other friends were standing when a gunman approached and fired at one of the friends who was standing. The victim was shot in his arm and he and the other friend who was standing ran into the bar.
Ramdhanie leant over the table and covered his head but the gunman turned his gun and shot him several times in the back. He died within minutes. His other friend partially hid under the table and narrowly escaped being shot.
Barrackpore police responded and the injured man was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital where he was treated and discharged. Police combed the area for the suspects after the brazen shooting but no one was held up to yesterday.
The bar was recently robbed by masked bandits but when the gunmen came on Tuesday, patrons said it appeared they came with the intent to kill someone.
Barrackpore West councillor Kumarie Kuarsingh said residents were no longer safe, as the murder was just the latest criminal activity to plague the region of Penal/Debe. She said the region was once safe but citizens are now paying with their lives as the Government turns a blind eye to crime.
“As the days go by, young girls are missing, predators are lurking, women and children are being raped, limbs are being severed off of people, bullet-riddled bodies are found all over the country and citizens are fearful for their lives,” Kuarsingh said.
“Residents are left in the dark about what is taking place in Penal/Debe. Why is there such a drastic upsurge of crime? What is being done about it? Why is the Government in denial about the lawlessness that is plaguing our country? Why is there no justice for those that have been victims of crime?”
She added, “The lives of citizens are not valued as the blood of our people continue to stain our land while the Government remains inactive. The Minister of National Security and the Prime Minister, who is the head of the National Security Council, have both proven to be incompetent in the fight against crime. The murder toll stands today at a record-breaking 405 in 276 days, the highest over the past five years. One life lost to criminals is too much. Minister of National Security, Commissioner of Police, the time to act is now.”
In another incident, Clifton “Bess” Jeffrey, 39, was shot at his home along the Guayaguayare Road, Rio Claro. A report stated that around 8.40 pm, Jeffrey was standing in a shed outside his home while his family sat on the step.
Suddenly, several gunshots were heard and his family found him bleeding on the floor. He was taken to the Rio Claro District Health Centre where he died minutes later.
And around 4 pm Tuesday, the body of Rio Claro farmer Lalbeharry Ramoutar was found floating in a lagoon near his garden in Navet. Ramoutar’s workers told police they last saw him alive around 12.30 pm that day in the garden tending to his dasheen field.
Hours later when the workers realised they were not hearing or seeing him, they walked towards the field and found him floating in the lagoon with two chop wounds on his head.