(Trinidad Express) Seconds after he walked out a parlour to head home, avid cricketer and father of two Hakim Mitchell was caught in a deadly ambush of another man in Malick on Thursday night.
Mitchell and the intended target were both shot dead.
Police said while Mitchell knew the intended target—Junior “Abu” Olliverie—they described Mitchell as an innocent bystander who was not known to them and seemed to have been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Investigators did not have an official motive for the killing, but noted an increase in gang activities in Malick over the last four weeks.
Police said that around 8.15 p.m., Mitchell, 36, known as “Mitch Man”, had been given a drop by Olliverie, 54, to Sixth Avenue, Malick.
Mitchell purchased some items for his three-year-old son at a nearby parlour and was walking towards his home at the end of Fifth Street.
Mitchell walked past Olliverie who was sitting in his car, a Toyota Fielder, parked along Sixth Avenue.
At the same time, another car, a dark-coloured Suzuki Swift, stopped near the Toyota and two masked men got out.
One had an assault rifle while the other had a 9mm handgun with which they opened fire on Olliverie as he sat in his car.
Mitchell, who was walking by, sustained multiple gunshots as well.
The shooters then ran back to their vehicle which sped off and was last seen speeding south along Sixth Avenue.
Residents and relatives of both men heard the gunshots. Relatives of Olliverie came out, picked him up and took him to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, while Mitchell was taken to the same hospital by officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force.
Mitchell was pronounced dead at 8.39 p.m. while Olliverie died some ten minutes later.
Officers of the Region One Homicide Bureau, as well as the North Eastern Division, led by Sgt Ramjohn and Sgt Maynard, responded.
Crime scene investigators recovered 35 spent 5.56mm shells, nine spent 9mm shells, and three spent .45mm shells at the scene of the shooting.
Love for cricket
The Express visited Malick and spoke with Mitchell’s relatives.
At the time, one of his relatives was looking at a video of him playing cricket.
“He inherited the love for cricket through our mother while in her belly,” said one relative who did not want to be identified.
He played with the Bess Motors Marchin Patriots cricket club.
The relative said that on Thursday night, Mitchell had stopped off at the corner of Eastern Main Road and Sixth Avenue and was about to get a taxi to take him home when he saw and accepted a lift from Olliverie, who he had known since he was a child.
“This was not expected to happen to someone like Hakeem. He was well known in the community and he was known throughout Trinidad,” said the woman.
“Mitchell had a five-year-old and a three-year-old, and (September 1) was the five-year-old’s birthday,” she said.
She said Mitchell was a perfectionist when it came to cricket.
“He took pride in anything and everything that he did. He took his sport very seriously, and sometimes that may have appeared or come across as arrogant but he was not. He was just a very driven individual,” she said.
The cricket club that Mitchell belonged to, Bess Motors Marchin Patriots, posted a tribute on social media.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our former player, Hakeem Mitchell, better known as Mitch Man. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon,” it said.
“We never knew that this would be your last season with us, and you’ve always given your all for the club. Your dedication and presence on and off the field have left a lasting impact. On behalf of Bess Motors Marchin Patriots, we extend our deepest condolences to his family during this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace, and may his loved ones find comfort and strength.”
On Wednesday morning, MTS maintenance worker Emerine Harewood, 49, from Upper Sixth Avenue, Malick, was shot dead near his home.
Police said 17 spent shells with the markings TTAG were found at the scene of that murder. These markings are associated with the Air Guard.
The murder toll stood at 431 up to last night while the toll on this date last year was 404.
