(Trinidad Guardian) The murder toll continued to climb yesterday, following the shooting deaths of two cousins and the wounding of three others, including a four-year-old child, during an attack linked to gang warfare enveloping the Malick community.
Gerald and Kemo Calliste appeared to be the main targets of two gunmen during an attack outside Roxann’s Learning and Childcare Centre at Basement Road, Seventh Avenue, Barataria.
Gerald, 36, was killed as he dropped off his daughter to catch a school bus, which transports school children in the community to their destinations, as he was accustomed to doing every day. Kemo, 32, died at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) a short while later.
A 48-year-old woman and her four-year-old Godson were also hurt. The woman was shot in the breast as the gunmen sprayed bullets at their targets. She suffered a broken collarbone, underwent emergency surgery at the PoSGH and was later warded in a stable condition.
Her godson was shot in the leg and was also treated and warded in a stable condition.
A fifth man was also treated for gunshot injuries and warded in a stable condition.
Condemning the actions of the gunmen, who were said to have been lying in wait at the busy junction, senior police officials claimed the shooting was gang-related.
One officer said, “Kemo Calliste was well known to officers of the North Eastern Division. We have interacted with him on numerous occasions.”
The incident left toddlers, parents and members of the community scared and in tears, prompting the TTPS Victim and Witness Support Unit (VWSU) to immediately activate support mechanisms.
As news of the shooting spread, relatives of the Calliste men flocked to the scene. Under a persistent drizzle, they hugged one another and cried openly as they lamented the crime situation.
One woman expressed anger that Gerald’s bullet-riddled body remained exposed on the road in front of the preschool up to two hours after the shooting.
She argued, “They coulda cover the man, as them young chirren seeing that…how you think that gonna affect them mentally? They traumatised…hearing the gunshots and now seeing the man lying down dey….oh God man, what them thinking?”
Other residents said while gunshots were a regular occurrence in the community, the killings were no longer confined to only alleged gang members.
The junction where the shooting occurred was said to be very busy, especially during the morning and evening periods, with parents dropping off and collecting youngsters at the preschool and for a school bus which transports the older children to their schools.
Clutching her granddaughter close as she hurried to her car through the rain, a woman, who refused to disclose her name, said she rushed to the preschool shortly after learning of the shooting to collect the scared child.
Describing the situation as “f@%*ing frightening,” she said it would be up to the parents to decide if the child would continue to attend the facility in the coming days.
Guardian Media was told the North-Eastern Division VWSU officers are planning to conduct a stress debriefing session at the childcare centre.
A senior TTPS official explained, “This will be aimed at providing support to teachers, parents and children in the aftermath of this traumatic event. It is always an unfortunate occurrence when persons lose their lives through violence.”
Thanking residents for their cooperation in trying to make the Barataria and Morvant communities safer, the senior officer said, “We appreciate it, but please do not stop. I want to urge you to continue to partner with us and share with us, whatever information that you may have in solving this matter and any other matter.”