By Sue-Ann Wayow
POLICE have confirmed the death of four persons on Wednesday in separate shooting incidents.
Labourer, Atiba Riley, of Chaconia Avenue, Coconut Drive, Morvant and Abdul Mohammed, 42, of La Horquette Branch Road, Point Cumana, Carenage and Bamboo #1, Valsayn died during a shooting. A third, electrician, Lennox Petinoi, 59, from Jade Drive, Edinburgh 500, Chaguanas received wounds to his buttocks from the same incident.
Police reported that around 2.45 pm, first responders received a wireless transmission of loud explosions heard from the Police Command Centre at Chaconia Avenue, Coconut Drive, Morvant.
Upon arrival, they met Petinoi, lying on his side on the western side of the roadway with blood on his pants and lower body. The victim reported that two other persons were also shot and Petinoi was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital by the first responders. Riley who was reportedly taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital by EHS personnel was attended to but was pronounced dead at 3.30 pm. Mohammed was reportedly taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital by a neighbour but he succumbed to his injuries at around 4.42pm. Petinoi remains in a stable condition.
Homicide Region 2 CSI personnel processed the scene and retrieved 11 7.62mm spent shell casings, nine 5.56mm spent shell casings, three pairs of slippers and three swabs of blood.
Further enquiries revealed that around 2-35pm, the three were liming when a silver coloured Nissan Tiida motor vehicle pulled up in front of the gateway and two men alighted. The men armed with firearms, opened fire into the compound hitting the three about their bodies. The assailants then escaped in the vehicle.
Shot after shooting
Also in Morvant, Akedi Gilding, 37, who is self-employed was shot and killed
Police reported that around 10.15 pm, first responders received a wireless transmission of shooting in progress at Small Street, 2nd Caledonia, Sawmill Avenue, Morvant from the Police Command Centre.
Upon arrival, they observed a man lying in an abandoned vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds about the body and showing signs of life. With the assistance of the other officers, he was placed in a police vehicle and conveyed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where he was medically examined and pronounced dead at 10.40pm. The deceased was later identified by his common-law wife who reported that around 10:10 pm, she was informed that Gilding was just shot on the roadway close to their home at 2nd Caledonia, Sawmill Avenue, Morvant.
She then went to make checks and observed him lying in a car shell bleeding from gunshot wounds. Police arrived shortly after.
The Homicide CSI processed the scene and retrieved 10 9mm spent shell casings and one live round of 9mm ammunition.
Enquiries revealed that the deceased had gone to the home of a 29-year-old and confronted her with a firearm, firing one shot in her direction. Shortly after some men barged in and confronted the deceased and a struggled ensued. Several loud explosions were heard and police responded and eventually found Gilding nearby.
Maxi-taxi driver shot and killed
And in Chaguanas, maxi-taxi driver Richard Joseph, 30, of Boodram Development, Enterprise died after being shot.
Police reported that around 3.15pm, first responders received a report of loud explosions from the Cunupia Police Station at Southern Main Toad, Cunupia in the vicinity of Homeland Gardens. They proceeded to that location, where upon arrival around 3.30pm they observed a green band Nissan Caravan maxi-taxi crashed on a wall on the eastern side of the Southern Main Road with the engine idling and the vehicle facing in a northerly direction.
Checks were made and officers observed Joseph seated in the driver seat, slumped over to the front passenger seat, with a gunshot wound to his right side forehead. He was clad in an off white jersey, light blue long jeans, a black Puma sneakers and wearing a blue surgical mask over his mouth. The area was cordoned off. Items retrieved from the scene were two spent casing 45 calibre and a gold cellular phone.
An autopsy is expected to take place on Friday at the Forensic Science Centre in St. James pending a Covid-19 test.
Initial enquires revealed that the deceased was plying his maxi-taxi for hire from Chaguanas to Curepe was driving north along the Southern Main Road, Cunupia. Around 3.15pm, he stopped in the vicinity of Dass Trace where two loud explosions were heard and the occupants exited the same vehicle. The maxi-taxi drove off and crashed.
Several persons were spoken to including family members police reported.
