RADHICA DE SILVA
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Two months short of his 50th birthday, coconut vendor Anildath Cazabo was gunned down in Golconda on Friday afternoon, as he set up his stall at the Golconda Connector Road, Golconda.
Cazabo, of La Romaine Estate, suffered three gunshot wounds to the head and chest shortly after 5 pm.
Eyewitnesses told police that a car stopped further up the highway and a man walked down the street towards Cazabo. He then pulled out a gun and started firing at close range.
Cazabo’s daughter Emily sobbed uncontrollably as she sat on a chair at the roadside while crime scene investigators picked up spent shells.
“This is a dream. This is not real,” she cried.
Cazabo’s nephew, Sheldon Cazabo, told Guardian Media that his uncle had a sordid past but had started changing his life around.
“It was nothing as bad to deserve a death like this,” Sheldon said.
He said Cazabo used to sell at several different places.
“It was only today he set up the stall in Golconda. I spoke to him last week. He was doing good. He was supposed to turn 50 in November, and he wanted to change his life around,” Sheldon said.
He said Cazabo loved his wife Sunita and their two children, one of whom is autistic.
“This was a changing point in his life. He left his past and started his own business. He had smaller stalls selling fish and he did construction work as well,” Sheldon said.
Police say they have several leads and will arrest the assailants.
Homicide officers are continuing investigations.