The usually subdued residential St Ann’s community recoiled in horror on Monday after a would-be robber shot dead a resident who wrestled with a gunman who attempted to storm a house.
Residents said the murder of Mathew De Silva was part of a trend of violent crime affecting the once safe community located a short distance away from the Prime Minister’s official residence.
De Silva, 36, was at the home of a friend along Hutton Road playing a game of cards when an armed intruder walked into the house after his friend’s girlfriend arrived around 2 am.
According to police, De Silva, who was confronted by the armed man, attempted to overpower him. During the struggle, the gun went off and De Silva was shot several times.
The gunman then fled the scene along with two other accomplices who were outside the house via a drain located to the back of the properties located along Hutton Road.
De Silva was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
De Silva’s wife, Megan, who was overwhelmed with grief, described her husband as her hero.
“He sacrificed his life to save our two friends. He is my hero.”
She said in recent times crime has increased in terms of robberies and home invasions.
“There has been a lot of incidents. Recently right up the street two homes were cleaned out. It is scary. Nobody wants to walk around. It’s really bad and like people don’t care. This is sad that it takes something like this for people to realise that is going on. People suffering.”
Former national security minister Carl Alfonso, who lives in the district, said crime had ballooned in the recent months.
He suggested that “outsiders” were gaining access to houses, via an ongoing box drain project in an adjacent street.
“It has gotten out of hand. In recent months we have noticed an upsurge and we don’t know exactly why.”
Alfonso, a former Chief of Defence Staff, said people need to change their lifestyle “for obvious reasons” and “step up on security awareness.”
He said that while there was no residents’ association in the area he had received many calls from concerned citizens on the heels of this latest murder. He said the time is right for the forming of a neighbourhood watch group.
“We cannot blame the police…Gary and his boys. We all have to help them. We have to be our brother’s keeper and do something so if we see something strange or someone strange we can call someone.”
Alfonso said residents are even seeking a town meeting with their parliamentary representative— Ministry of National Security Stuart Young.
Young in an immediate response extended his deepest condolences to the De Silva family.
“The loss of every single life of law-abiding citizens is tragic and traumatic. I have been pushing hard to fight the criminal elements in our society. Once again, the loss of an innocent life was due to the use of an illegal firearm or firearms. My deepest and sincerest sympathy and condolences go out to Mr De Silva’s family. My thoughts and prayers are with them. We will not rest in our fight against criminality.”
St Ann’s/Cascade/Mon Repos West Councillor Sherwin Jones said he intends to meet with the sergeant in charge of the Belmont Police Station to discuss security concerns and the increased robberies in the area.
“I intend to ask for increased police visibility 24/7 despite that a lot of roadblocks and patrols take place frequently…Just last week there was a major roadblock exercise not too far from Hutton Road at Queen’s Hall (which is near the official residence of the Prime Minister and also the President’s House).”
Asked if the drain the killer used in the escape could be blocked off, Jones said it could not because it aided in channeling excess water straight from the area to the St Ann’s River.
On September 2, 2017, 80-year-old Dr Claire Broadbridge was killed at her Fondes Amandes, St Ann’s home. A man and his common-law wife were charged with her murder.
Broadbridge was found bound, stabbed repeatedly and her throat slashed at her home. After killing her, her attacker/s attempted to torch her home by setting fire to furniture, which alerted neighbours who called the Fire Service. The fire officials found the woman’s lifeless body in her bedroom.
The skateboarding community also sent out deepest condolences to the family. Megan said her husband was a friend to the community and well respected.