Why did the intruders who broke into the home of Daniel Johnson shoot him after he complied with their demands for money?
This is one of the burning questions of relatives and friends as they mourn his loss.
Johnson, 57, the owner of Daniel John Scaffolding, succumbed to his injuries around 1.50 pm on Saturday almost 12 hours after he was shot in the forehead at his Paradise Ave, Whiteland home, while his two children, ages 17 and nine, were at home. They were not hurt.
Police said it was around 1.15 am when the men broke into Johnson’s home and demanded money.
He handed over $42,000.
On their way out they fired one shot at his head.
Johnson’s son got into his father’s car and drove for miles until he got to the home of Ashwayne Barrington, his father’s friend and colleague.
In an interview with Guardian Media at Johnson’s home yesterday, Barrington said around 1.27 am on Saturday he heard a banging on his front door at Guaracara Village, Williamsville.
He recalled that Johnson’s son was shouting, “Uncle Ashwayne, Uncle Ashwayne, they now kill daddy, they now kill daddy.”
Barrington added, “We open the door and he was kind ah distraught crying and carry on, saying they kill daddy.”
The boy, who was with his sister, would have driven for about seven minutes to get to his home.
Barrington said they were able to calm him down and they then called the police.
Daniel Johnson
They then went to Johnson’s house where they found him on the bedroom floor in blood.
He said Johnson was alive but he could not talk.
“They ask if they know who did it to tap his hands, so he was tapping it on the ground. You sure you know who did it, tap your foot this time he tap his feet,” he recalled.
Eventually, the EHS ambulance arrived and took him to the San Fernando General Hospital where he died around 1.50 pm.
Repeating what was told to him, Barrington said, “The perpetrators came through the back door, snatched him (son) and told his father, ‘I’ll kill your son if you don’t give us the money,’ because he received some funds from a job the day prior. He handed him the money and as they ask the son to pick up his father’s phone, the son turned, take up the phone to hand him the phone, shot his father one shot to the head.”
He was baffled as to why they shot him.
“That’s the questions everybody asking, if he already got the money why shoot him. I don’t know probably he could have identify the persons.”
He said no one knew that Johnson collected $75,000 for a job the day before. Johnson, however, remained with $42,000 after paying a few people. Barrington, however, believes the children would need counselling.
“My major issue is the children and the health of the children, because these children, they were in a house where their father was killed and I don’t know if anybody could help, psychological help or anything could be given to them because of that experience,” he said.
An autopsy is expected to be performed this week at the Forensic Science Centre, Port-of-Spain. Officers of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region Three are investigating.
