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By Rickie Ramdass January 21, 2019

(TRINIDAD EXPRESS) – A triple shooting in the St Joseph area yesterday evening claimed the lives of two people, including a woman, bringing the murder toll for the year to date to 29.

The murders were just two of five killings that took place in various parts of the country between Saturday night and 5 p.m. yesterday.

The latest victims have been identified as Krystal Heeralal, Keron Rampersad, 27-year-old Adio Patrick and Jake Halls, 38

Six mur ­ders over the week ­end have pushed the mur ­der toll to 30 for the year so far.

The lat ­est in ­ci ­dent oc ­curred in Care ­nage on Sun ­day night with the mur ­der of Ja ­mal Moses.

Po ­lice said Moses was stand ­ing along the road in Mt Pleas ­ant around 8 pm when gun ­men shot him sev ­er ­al times about the body. He died on the scene.

Moses’ mur ­der fol ­lowed an un ­re ­lat ­ed dou ­ble mur ­der at Bangladesh in St Joseph. In that in ­ci ­dent, the vic ­tims were iden ­ti ­fied as Krys ­tal Heer ­alal and Keron Ram ­per ­sad.

Po ­lice said at about 5 pm, a lone gun ­man opened fire on a group of peo ­ple who were at Marigold Dri ­ve, shoot ­ing three. Heer ­alal and Ram ­per ­sad were killed, while a third vic ­tim, iden ­ti ­fied as Shami ­la St John, was al ­so wound ­ed.

St John was said to be fight ­ing for her life at the Er ­ic Williams Med ­ical Sci ­ences Com ­plex in Mount Hope up to last night. Po ­lice are yet to de ­ter ­mine a mo ­tive for the killing.

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In yet an ­oth ­er un ­re ­lat ­ed mur ­der in San Fer ­nan ­do, Jabari Paul, 18, of Pe ­nal, had just left a fete when he was shot while walk ­ing along Mon Cha ­grin Street, San Fer ­nan ­do, near the South ­ern Di ­vi ­sion Fraud Squad of ­fice. Po ­lice said he was shot sev ­er ­al times in the head.

Ac ­cord ­ing to a po ­lice re ­port, Paul, the fa ­ther of a two-year-old boy, died at about 9.15 am at the San Fer ­nan ­do Gen ­er ­al yes ­ter ­day. Po ­lice said that Paul had ear ­li ­er had an ar ­gu ­ment with some men and left a par ­ty.

A sen ­try sta ­tioned at the Fraud Squad of ­fice heard the gun ­shots and when he looked out ­side saw Paul ly ­ing on the road ­way bleed ­ing pro ­fuse ­ly. The of ­fi ­cer called for help and of ­fi ­cers of the Guard and Emer ­gency Branch re ­spond ­ed and took Paul to the hos ­pi ­tal where he lat ­er died.

Paul’s aunt, who lives near the scene of the shoot ­ing, said she did not know where he went or where he was go ­ing. She said she was asleep when she heard the gun ­shots. She said she thought the shoot ­ing vic ­tim could have been one of her neigh ­bours but not her nephew.

“I was sleep ­ing when I heard about 10 shots rang out and I got up to see what I could but I couldn’t see any ­thing. I sus ­pect ­ed that it was some ­body around here be ­cause I know every ­body here. Some ­body called us lat ­er on and told us about it,” Paul’s aunt said.

Based on what neigh ­bours said, Paul’s aunt said the po ­lice had de ­clared Paul dead at the scene, but when his arms start ­ed shak ­ing the po ­lice took him to the hos ­pi ­tal.

In the week ­end’s first in ­ci ­dent, at about 8 pm on Sat ­ur ­day a man who was found shot sev ­er ­al times about his body on the side of the road suc ­cumbed to his in ­juries while ward ­ed at the San ­gre Grande Dis ­trict Hos ­pi ­tal. He was iden ­ti ­fied as Jake Halls, 38, of Matu ­ra. He was last seen lim ­ing at a vil ­lage bar on Fri ­day. Po ­lice said it is be ­lieved he was shot sev ­er ­al times while walk ­ing on his way home from the bar.

In an ­oth ­er un ­re ­lat ­ed in ­ci ­dent, at about 8.30 pm on Sat ­ur ­day, Adio Patrick was stand ­ing along the St Fran ­cois Val ­ley Road, Bel ­mont, when he was ap ­proached by a group of men who opened fire on him. He was shot sev ­er ­al times about the body. He was tak ­en to the Port-of-Spain Gen ­er ­al Hos ­pi ­tal but was pro ­nounced dead on ar ­rival.

In ­ves ­ti ­ga ­tions are con ­tin ­u ­ing in ­to all in ­ci ­dents.

– by Rhondor Dowlat. Ad ­di ­tion ­al re ­port ­ing by Kevon Felmine and Ralph Ban ­warie

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