Two men were murdered and two others injured in separate shooting incidents in South Trinidad yesterday.
Another man was also shot dead by a farmer in Princes Town after he was caught stealing the man’s crops.
The murders happened about an hour apart in La Romaine and San Fernando.
One of the victims has been identified as Junior Timothy, of Orchid Gardens, Pleasantville.
Police received information that around 6 pm yesterday, Timothy was in a Hyundai Tucson that was being followed by a white van along the Southern Main Road, La Romaine. The occupants of the van reportedly fired several shots at the Tucson, which then ran off the road and crashed into a wall near Bamboo Junction. An occupant then came out of the van and fired several more shots at the Tucson and returned to the van and escaped.
While Homicide detectives were at that scene they received information about a fatal drive-by shooting at Lord Street, San Fernando. Residents there reported hearing about 15 gunshots. When they checked they found three occupants of a Tiida shot several times. One of them was already dead. The other two men were taken to hospital were they were treated for gunshots wounds.
Residents complained that the ambulance took more than 35 minutes to arrive although the hospital is less than three minutes away. One of the injured men was taken to the hospital by a family member.
The third incident occurred around 4.50 pm.
According to police, a 68-year-old farmer reportedly went to his garden at Borde Narve Branch Road, Princes Town, after receiving information that people were stealing his crops.
When he got there, together with another relative, he saw several bunches of his plantain cut and hidden in the bushes. A car then approached and two men came out. The farmer called out to them and one of the men pointed a gun at him.
The farmer said he got scared and fired one shot from his 12-gauge shotgun. The men ran off.
The driver, a 34-year-old man of Union Road, Marabella, was detained while the body of the second man was found on the road. Police said a third man escaped.
Investigations are continuing.