(Trinidad Express) Days after Special Reserve Cor-poral Charles Kublalsingh received an award for his dedication to duty as a police officer, he was gunned down during a robbery attempt in Curepe.
Fifty-six-year-old Kublalsingh, of Jackson Street in Curepe, was fatally shot at about 8 p.m. on Saturday outside the home of a relative on Woodford Street.
The Express was told that he was standing on the road near a silver Toyota Fielder Wagon when he was approached by a masked man. The suspect pulled out a firearm and announced a hold-up.
However, before Kublalsingh could react, the suspect shot at him, hitting him in the chest.
The suspect then ordered a relative of Kublalsingh, who was in the front passenger seat of the Wagon, out of the car.
The relative complied and the suspect entered the vehicle and drove away. Shortly after, a Nissan X-Trail was observed speeding away from the scene.
The police and paramedics were notified and Kublalsingh was taken to Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where he died while undergoing treatment.
Crime scene officers recovered one spent 12-gauge shotgun cartridge.
A team of officers from Maracas, St Joseph Mobile proceeded to establish a strategic location along Maracas Royal Road in the vicinity of Mountain View following the incident.
They saw a wagon which matched the des-cription of the stolen vehicle and pursued the car, which then turned onto Acono Road.
They also observed a silver Nissan X-Trail, which also matched the description of the vehicle seen following the shooting, proceeding at a high rate of speed towards La Caurita Road.
The officers followed both vehicles, but soon after, the driver stopped the wagon. One man got out the car and shot at the police, who took cover and returned fire.
However, the suspect managed to escape by running into a bushy area.
The police recovered four spent 9mm shells at the scene of the shooting.
The vehicle was examined and found to be carrying false number plates and the ignition also appeared to have been tampered with.
At about 9.45 p.m., the officers found the X-Trail abandoned along Sam Badora Road off La Caurita Road, but checks for the suspects proved futile.
Dedicated individual
Kublalsingh’s relatives declined to speak to the media yesterday, saying they will talk at another time as the family was still trying to come to terms with the loss.
Officers of the Munici-pal Police described Kublalsingh as a “hard-working” individual who always dreamed of being a policeman.
They said he was a dedicated individual who worked well with the community.
Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds also extended his condolences to Kublalsingh’s family yesterday while speaking on i95.5 fm.
“I want to extend condolences…first his family. I want to extend condolences to his community and I certainly want to extend condolences to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service because they would have lost a brother, a friend, a member, and it traumatises them…not to the point of making them immobilised, but they do feel pain for their brother,” Hinds said.
He said he was concerned that Kublalsingh’s legal firearm was taken during the robbery attempt, and he hoped that investigators would do all they can to find the perpetrators and recover the weapon.
