(Trinidad Guardian) A shooting in the heart of San Juan yesterday morning claimed the lives of two people and left three others wounded.
Police said Reynold Anderson Victor, 42, an employee of the San Juan/ Laventille Regional Corporation, ended work and was liming at the corner of Second Street and Saddle Road around 8.55 am when occupants of a Toyota Yaris drove up next to him. Four gunmen got out of the car and shot him several times.
Four people who were standing near Victor at the time were also shot—among them Jelissa Payne, 35, who was taken to hospital where she was declared dead.
Also wounded in the attack were a 40-year-old man who was shot in his buttocks and right knee; a 59-year-old man who also received bullet wounds to his buttocks and right knee, and a woman who was shot in her back and left knee.
Guardian Media Ltd visited the scene as officers of the San Juan CID and the North Eastern Division Task Force cordoned off the scene of Victor’s murder from Eastern Main Road to Second Street, rerouting traffic and pedestrians to side streets.
A relative said she was saddened by his murder, noting that it happened without warning.
Another relative said Victor was expected to celebrate his wedding anniversary next month. She said she was pained by his death.
“This whole thing is really painful for all of us. He has a five-year-old son who he loves a lot. What is his son supposed to think about seeing his father like this on the street?” she said.
Several businesses near the scene of the murder closed their doors temporarily.
One business owner said while Victor’s murder was unfortunate, he felt that he was gradually being desensitised to violent crime, because of the frequency with which it happened.
Contacted for comment, San Juan/ Barataria MP Saddam Hosein called for a greater police presence in the Croisee to curb crime, noting that several residents have reached out to him to express their concern over safety in the community.
“It has become alarming and frightening but it has now become the norm in Trinidad and Tobago, where we have seen people being gunned down in broad daylight in very busy areas.
“This has left many of my constituents in a state of shock that an individual can be gunned down in this manner on a very busy street.”
Referring to the murder of 38-year-old store clerk Keston Alves outside his Aranguez workplace on Monday, Hosein said an enhanced police presence was necessary.
Police in the North Eastern Division admitted there was a noticeable uptick in the number of violent crimes, particularly murders for the year thus far.
One officer said for the year there were 48 murders in the division compared to 36 for the same period last year.
He said several initiatives were introduced to suppress crime.
Responding to yesterday’s incident, he said officers of the San Juan Sub Station got to the scene within five minutes, while other units patrolled several nearby areas, including the San Juan market.
“We have several strategies that are implemented, including active directed patrols to zone in on areas of concern and better secure the area. We have had some challenges but we are working hard and we are doing our best to ensure public safety in all parts of the division.”
Referring to the seizure of an assault rifle in Seventh Avenue, Malick, on Monday afternoon, the officer said the work of police was yielding some results.
He also called on the public to do their part in helping the police.
Five murders have taken place in the North Eastern Division for the week thus far, beginning with the killing of 24-year-old Kelum Williams in Upper Sixth Avenue, Malick, on Sunday afternoon.
On Monday afternoon, Alves was gunned down at his workplace on Aranguez Main Road.