An early morning double murder along Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, yesterday, which also left a British citizen nursing injuries, has sent senior police officers back to the drawing board to determine where the security breaches occurred and ensure all avenues are plugged to prevent any further situations.
As one of the busiest strips which was heavily policed, officials expressed genuine surprise over the shooting incident.
One of the victims was identified as Atiba Rodriguez, 37, of Romain Lands, Morvant, a mason employed with the Ministry of Works and Transport, while the second victim was only identified as Jessie or Javon of Morvant.
The incident, which occurred around 4.30 am, sent hundreds who had lined the street scampering, while a few homeowners said they just double-checked to ensure their doors were safely locked.
Reports indicate a car stopped and a gunman exited the vehicle and opened fire on the victims who had been standing on the road in front of La Habana.
As the first victim collapsed on the road, the second victim began running west along the Avenue and later collapsed in front of Sixty Three Lounge.
Meanwhile, a 37-year-old British woman who is in Trinidad for Carnival was shot in the right calf during the incident. She was treated at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and discharged in stable condition.
The Victim and Witness Support Unit has been called out to lend further support.
Speaking with the Sunday Guardian yesterday, street vendors who witnessed the incident reported being scared to continue operating despite the heavy police presence along the Avenue.
One man said, “Yeah, we feeling unsafe but what we could do?”
Gesturing to the food and drinks surrounding him, he said, “We already invest so much money, we cyar carry this back home. We don't have a choice but to stay here, but we are scared.”
Asked to speak about the incident, another man recalled, “Boy, I had to throw meh frame, it was real bullet sharing.”
One homeowner who reported being unable to sleep due to the noise as well as the foot/vehicular traffic described the suspect (s) as, “Walking gunners who don’t care about human life.”
A senior police official who was contacted admitted they were very concerned about the incident which spoke to a lapse in security.
He said, “We have police officers present and there is an increased visibility, but it means that somebody breached what we had in place.”
Admitting the security stakeholders including the T&T Police Service (TTPS) and the T&T Defence Force (TTDF) would have to reinforce the systems in place, he said, “From a security perspective, we have to do some introspection to see what went wrong because we spent quite a significant amount of time to put a lot of resources out there and we had a lapse on the Avenue, which is one of the priority areas.”
He said “tightening up” would be done ahead of the continued revelry over the next few days.
CoP concerned
Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher expressed serious concerns over the killings which were said to be gang-related.
In a release, via the TTPS Corporate Communications Unit, she assured, “We are pursuing several leads which have arisen through intelligence and technical support. I want to assure members of the public that these incidents are being vigorously pursued.”
She underscored that even as police officers are out there in full strength “doing everything possible to prevent further occurrences,” it remained a reality that there are those who remain “intent on creating chaos and mayhem.”
She pointed out that during the preceding 24-hour period, nationwide anti-crime exercises had resulted in the recovery of three illegal firearms and over three kilos of marijuana being seized, and more than 15 people arrested for various offences.
Harewood-Christopher defended law enforcement officers. “The officers are working extremely hard to prevent such situations in every practical way,” she said.
She said the TTPS would continue to be out in full force utilising all available resources and intelligence, working tirelessly and relentlessly to prevent these situations.
However, despite their best efforts, she said, “Unless citizens and visitors comply with the law, exercise restraint, and cooperate with the police in treating with lawlessness, the possibility of these incidents occurring will continue to be our challenge.”
She stressed, “We have a very effective operational plan in effect and we will persevere in our efforts and continue to be proactive and diligent in performing our duty during this carnival season.”
“We remain optimistic that our operations will be successful and we will get the desired results.”
Body found in Wallerfield
Meanwhile, the body of an African male was found in some bushes off Windsor Road, Wallerfield, yesterday afternoon. The discovery was made around 5 pm on February 18.
Reports indicate the body of the unidentified man bore gunshot wounds to the face.
Investigations are continuing.