The bullet which claimed the life of 29-year-old Joel Malchan completely destroyed his heart, an autopsy revealed on Monday. Malchan, of Uquire Road, Freeport, and Dharmendra Sookdeo, 22, of Lime Fruit Road, Freeport, who were travelling in a white AD Wagon, were shot dead by a man while waiting at the traffic light near the flyover on Sunday. Autopsies done on the bodies at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Monday, showed that both men were shot twice from the front.
According to forensic pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov both men were shot from approximately a metre away. “Both of them were shot a couple times, both of them received shots to the chest. In one of them, the bullet actually completely destroyed the heart. In the other one, the bullet perforated the aorta, the major blood vessel,” Alexandrov said. Police held two men from Trincity, Tacarigua and Enterprise, Chaguanas, for the killings shortly afterwards.
The officers also found a .38 chrome revolver on the men. In an unrelated matter, Alexandrov also said the autopsy on PC Eustace Richards, who was killed when his car crashed on the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway on Sunday, showed he died as a result of severe trauma to his chest Richards, who was last assigned to the Court and Process Branch of the St James Police Station, suffered multiple internal injuries to the lungs, liver and pelvis.
Alexandrov said it appeared Richards was not wearing his seatbelt as there was no belt impression on his body. However, he said he believed Richards may have been unable to wear a seatbelt since he weighed close to 277 pounds.