Although she is being hailed as a hero and publicly applauded for killing a would-be intruder on Saturday night using her relative’s licenced firearm, a Chaguanas woman could now be facing multiple charges depending on what the investigation unearths.
The 45-year-old woman, from Egypt Village, Endeavour, was at home around 8.15 pm on July 29 with her young daughter when the incident occurred.
It is alleged that the mother saw the suspect open the door to her silver Honda CRV in her yard and sounded the horn several times before walking to the front door and shaking it as he attempted to gain entry to the house.
The fearful woman reportedly retrieved a male relative’s licenced firearm and fired a single shot in the suspect’s direction, hitting him in the head.
As he collapsed on the floor of the garage, she contacted the police.
The other suspects fled.
Forensic personnel later recovered one spent nine millimetre shell casing at the scene.
As news of the shooting spread across social media and news outlets between Saturday and Sunday, hundreds celebrated the woman’s bravery.
Joyce Rambox commented on Facebook, “Best news ever. People do what you have to do to protect your family.”
Tasha Gabriel wrote, “Job well done. Thank to your husband for applying for that firearm.”
Ofs Sight recommended, “National award.”
Meanwhile, Sambo Harris countered, “How terrible. This woman needed to go to jail for possession and using a gun without a FUL and murder. The husband should have both FUL and gun taken away and charged with reckless endangerment for having his gun so unprotected, that his wife or anyone else could access it.”
Contacted on the matter yesterday, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Intelligence and Investigation Curt Simon said, “This investigation is quite recent and there must be some diligence exercised in the conducting of the investigations when one takes into consideration that the investigators have to start at the end of it, going back to the beginning ... to the original occurrence.”
Simon stressed that no further details would be released relating to the matter at this time.
Another senior police officer said while the public would naturally view the woman and her daughter as the victims in this instance, that term could be attributed to the deceased who the police identified as Mark Anthony Joseph, 25, of Chaguanas.
Contacted to provide a perspective on the law and how the woman’s action could be interpreted, a senior legal official explained that she could face a multitude of charges including possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
He added, “Depending on the circumstances of the invasion—murder.”