(Trinidad Express) The silence of St Lucien Road, Diego Martin, was violently broken on Saturday night when a lone gunman entered the compound of a young mechanic and killed two people who were working on a vehicle, while seriously injuring a third, before calmly disappearing into the night.
According to police reports, around 7.30 p.m. Reinzi Pierre, 25, Shendell Dookie, 29, Allan Paul, 27, and an unidentified person were all working on a black Honda Civic motor vehicle, when they were approached by an unknown individual.
While the men were conducting repairs to the back of the vehicle, the assailant pulled out a firearm and began shooting at the group.
Pierre, Dookie, and Paul were all hit multiple times. The fourth person, who was unidentified up to press time, ran for his life and was reportedly hit by a car in the process.
The assailant then fled the scene on foot.
The police and emergency health services were notified and a party of officers from the Western Division and the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, including Superintendent Balram, Inspector Mohammed and Cpl Campbell, visited the scene.
However, by the time they arrived Pierre had succumbed to his injuries.
Dookie and Paul were rushed to the Port of Spain General Hospital, however, Dookie succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
Up to press time yesterday, Paul was said to still be warded in a serious condition.
When the Express visited the area, Dookie’s relatives said the 29-year-old was a father of three—a seven-month-old girl, a four-year-old boy, and a six-year-old girl—who was killed simply for fixing Pierre’s vehicle.
“Let me tell you now, my cousin wasn’t in anything illegal or anything wrong. He was killed because of the company he kept this week. Pierre was a troublemaker for lack of a better word. He had some run ins with the law and he even recently came out of jail. This Monday gone there, he came to Shendell with a car to fix. Now we warned him about that boy and how people looking for him. But he said he would simply fix the car quick and let him be on his way.
“You see Shendell was thinking about how he could make a quick dollar from Pierre, because the man has three children to feed. So he didn’t turn him away. He went to the bamboo and pick up parts and thing with Pierre. But like whoever was looking for Pierre they must be thinking that because they riding together they were friends. So they come and kill both of them one time. But that wasn’t the case at all. They just kill that boy for no reason. And now they leave three children fatherless,” explained a relative who asked not to be identified.
Pierre’s grandfather, Bertrand Ledger, acknowledged that his grandson “was not a saint” and had run-ins with the law, however, he said that the 25-year-old was always respectful to him. He blamed Pierre’s death on the company he kept, and warned young people in this country to be mindful of those around them before they face a similar fate.
“He grew up with us. We tried to raise him right and did the best we could. But then he got older and thought he could find his own way. He found a woman and had children and got into some trouble with the law. But he was always welcomed here. Night and day. He was always respectful to me.
“His problem was that he reached a certain age and thought he knew better and wouldn’t listen and he fell into bad company. He took the wrong road in life and this was the violent end to that road. Just the day before (Friday) he was in my home and I told him stay away from the company he usually keeps. I told him we living in a more serious time and he needs to live a better life if he wants to reach my age (77). But he didn’t listen,” Ledger recalled with tears in his eyes.
Investigations are continuing.
The two killings, along with a separate incident in Port of Spain on Saturday, have pushed the murder toll to 260.
