(Trinidad Express) A United States soldier and his friend were shot dead when gunmen attempted to relieve the soldier of a silver Nissan Almera motorcar early yesterday, police said.
The soldier has been identified as Sgt Simeon Kert Roderique, 38. His dead friend is Nickal Kerwin Hoyte.
According to police, the murders occurred shortly after midnight at the corner of the Old St Joseph Road and Pashley Street in Laventille.
Police believe another motorist willfully crashed into the vehicle driven by Roderique in order to rob him of the vehicle. Roderique was shot in the driver’s seat of the motorcar while Nickal, a mechanical engineer employed with Neal and Massy, who had gone to the scene to assist Roderique, was shot outside the vehicle.
Roderique arrived in Trinidad over one week ago on a short vacation. His registered address with the US Embassy, upon arriving in the country, was given as Sangre Grande, but he also stayed at Satar Street in Aranjuez.
In a media release issued yesterday, the US Embassy in Port of Spain said it was working together with local law enforcement officials to bring those responsible for Roderique’s death to justice.
“Trinidad and Tobago authorities have reported to the US Embassy the presumed murder last night (Tuesday) of US Army Sgt Simeon Roderique, who was travelling in Trinidad on holiday.
“The Embassy is actively coordinating with local authorities, who are diligently working to solve this deplorable crime and bring the perpetrators to justice. Sgt Roderique’s family has been contacted and informed of his death. The US Embassy extends our deepest sympathy to his family,” the release stated.
Roderique, who was born in Trinidad but migrated to the US 17 years ago and attained US citizenship, was a training sergeant with the US Army at the army’s Queens Headquarters.
Both men were described as very loving and caring people, who were not involved in criminal activities.
On learning of the murders of her boyfriend Roderique and brother Nickal, Nicole Hoyte collapsed at her home and had to be treated at the Port of Spain General Hospital.
At the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James yesterday, Nickal Hoyte’s relatives described the incident as unprovoked and unfortunate. After viewing the body of her son Nickal, his mother Ermine Hoyte broke down in tears and openly prayed and called for swift justice in the matter.
The distraught mother said: “I want them (police) to catch who do that. Catch them bandits. Catch them bandits and shoot them… Ask no questions when they catch them because it hurting me and I want their parents to cry and feel the pain just as how I am feeling.
“They kill my son. Why they do that and go and hide underneath dey mother bed? Why they do that is wickedness in this place, boy. Them police should start looking for them boys who kill them two innocent boys. I want to see the mother of them bandits… I and them going to fight. No weapons should prosper against my son and my children. All yuh find them bandits for meh, please!”
Hoyte added that other members of her family could have been killed if she had sent her two daughters and another son to assist Roderique at the scene of the incident.
She said her son simply wanted a good life and dreamt of becoming a certified engineer and was never involved in any type of criminal activities. She said she was clueless as to why Nickal and Roderique were murdered. She said very soon Nickal was expected to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Trinidad and Tobago.
Hoyte said, “They killed the boy for no reason. They killed my son for no reason, and everybody like Nickal, who was a very hard-working boy and intelligent.
“The boy going to school everyday, he beating books. He don’t smoke, he don’t go party, he don’t drink, he don’t gamble, is only books. Because he said he wanted to be an engineer and two more subjects he had to finish to be a certified engineer and they gone and kill my son,” she said.
One of Nickal’s sisters, Giselle Gibbs, said after another car crashed into the back of the rental car Roderique was driving, he immediately telephoned them for assistance. At the time of the incident, Nickal was leaving the area after dropping off Nicole at her Trou Macaque, Laventille, home.
“We call him (Nickal) and tell him to go and help him. He doh do nobody nothing. I say, ‘Go and help the boy and we coming to help you,’ because we don’t want him (Roderique) to stay by that corner because that corner too hot.
“We don’t know what really happen but when I reach they was dead already. Hang, hang hang… all yuh start to hang the people and them. Hang them nah man. They kill my brother for no reason man. They ain’t rob him, he had no gold and he had no money on him,” Gibbs said.
A retired police sergeant, who was a prosecutor at the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court but wished not to identify himself, yesterday said Roderique was the father of four children who lived in the US. He said he was separated from his wife and had a divorce matter which was listed for hearing in a US court on December 4.
The retired cop said Roderique, who was also an ordained Spiritual Baptist priest, was a very nice person who assisted many Trinidadians in getting US green cards. “He just liked helping people and this incident is very shocking to all of us.”
Sgt Eric Parks and other officers of the Besson Street CID and the Port of Spain Division along with the Special Anti-Crime Unit of T&T visited the scene and are continuing investigations.
