(Trinidad Express) East Port of Spain was last night transformed into a scene reminiscent of a modern war movie, with the ringing of periodic gunfire in-between the sound of helicopters and orders being barked by heavily armed soldiers and policemen.
The cause of the action? Unknown groups of heavily armed men reportedly opened fire on the Besson Street Police Station at about 10p.m, shortly after 30-year-old Dillon “Bandy” Skeete was killed by unknown persons. The exact circumstances of the killing remained unknown but sources told the Express that sometime during the night in Laventille, Skeete and an as yet unidentified individual, were walking along the roadway when a black unmarked Nissan X-Trail motor vehicle pulled alongside the duo. The men inside the car reportedly opened fire on the two men, hitting them several times. Police sources said Skeete was killed instantly, along with his unknown accomplice.
Police believe that persons close to Skeete assumed that the men who killed the 30-year-old man were police officers, as law enforcement personnel were known to use those make of vehicles. As a result, some time at about 10p.m. armed men visited the Besson Street Police Station situated at the corner of Picadilly Street, Port of Spain, and opened fire on the law enforcement office. This led to an immediate response from the Police Service, who called in assistance from the T&T Defence Force as well. Their responses were all coordinated by the National Operations Center(NOC) and within minutes, the area was cordoned off, and heavily armed men and women of the National Security services responded.
Aerial support was summoned by the NOC and helicopters were seen hovering above the police station, with its headlights focused on the roadways. There were also unconfirmed reports of a police sergeant being injured during the shooting, but up to 1a.m.this information could not be validated. Heads of the various divisions in Trinidad and Tobago, including Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Ramsubhag (POS/West) Divisional Commander for Northern Division Senior Superintendent David Abraham, Divisional Commander for Western Division Ishmael David, Superintendent Johnny Abraham (Central), along with Inspector Roger Alexander of the North Eastern Division, among others, were notified of the ongoing situation and alerted to be on standby in the event further assistance was required.
As of 1a.m. police sources also indicated that three persons had been shot in total, but it was unknown if this figure included the two persons said to have been killed. Law enforcement agencies locked down Picadilly Street and repeatedly told reporters that anyone who ventured on the roadway was doing so at their own risk. Skeete was wanted by police as a suspect in the murder of Lance Corporal Kayode Thomas. Reports are that at approximately 11:30pm, on Sunday, June 29, 2014, Lance Corporal Thomas while off duty was shot and killed near Plaisance Quarry Road, John John while driving his Mazda 323 on his way to visit a relative in the Beverly Hills area. No one has been held in relation to this incident.
