(Trinidad Express) – A 9-year-old boy and his 15-year-old brother, both believed to be instrumental in several robberies in the Port of Spain area, were killed on Sunday when gunmen entered their family’s home, forced them to lie down and shot each one in the head.
Dead are Jadel Holder and his older brother, Jamal Brathwaite.
Glendel Alexander, a 16-year-old neighbour, who was also inside the home with the brothers at the time of the killings, was shot in his leg.
The brothers’ mother was also at home at the time. She escaped unharmed.
According to police reports, around 3 pm, two gunmen entered the home at Petunia Avenue, Coconut Drive, Morvant, where the brothers lived. Holder tried to run upstairs, but was grabbed. The gunmen put the brothers to lie down on the ground. Holder and Brathwaite were then each shot in the head.
Alexander was shot in the leg.
Both Holder and Brathwaite died on the spot. Alexander was rushed to Port of Spain General Hospital, where he is said to be currently listed in a stable condition.
Homicide detectives and officers of the North Eastern Division responded to the shooting.
Police caution tape cordoned off the roadway along Petunia Avenue from foot and mobile traffic, as crime scene investigators conducted enquiries.
Neighbours came out in their numbers to see what was transpiring.
Although the ages of the dead may be a shocker to most, neighbours told the Express this end was expected.
“This is so sad, but sooner or later it was going to come to this,” said one neighbour, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The neighbour described the siblings as “terrors”. “They were always giving trouble,” the neighbour said.
The duo were said to be living at home with their mother, who is employed at a supermarket along Eastern Main Road. The mother works from “Sunday to Sunday” to make ends meet, a neighbour said.
While she was away working, however, the boys were said to be getting into trouble.
One neighbour told of an incident which took place last week in a taxi, where Holder attempted to pay the driver less than the fare for both himself and Brathwaite. When the driver spoke to Holder about it, Brathwaite is said to have boasted that he recently came out of jail and that the driver should be satisfied with the money given. A neighbour said while the duo went into the capital city and robbed people, they lived cordially with the community. The neighbour said the community should have intervened when they realised the boys were heading down the wrong path.