Police with automatic firearms swarmed a La Romaine community yesterday after gunmen opened fire on a group of residents on Monday night, killing 18-year-old Kimroy Marshall and injuring two others.
Marshall, an electrician of Grace Lane, died while undergoing surgery at the San Fernando General Hospital around 5 am yesterday. His neighbour Devon Ross, 19, was clinging to life at the hospital after bullets tore through his liver and hand. US resident Carmen Henry, 76, was shot in the ankle while standing in the yard of her sister’s home.
Already living in fear of drug lords, residents said the incident happened less than a kilometre away from the La Romaine Police Post, which was set up last August to counteract a series of drug related shootings and murders. Residents said that had officers responded faster, they would have been able to capture the suspects. When teams of Southern Division Task Force and San Fernando CID officers touched down on Phyllis Street, a group of young men dispersed in several directions. A woman ran into the roadway and told officers that while lying in her hammock, a man jumped through the window to her kitchen.
Reports stated that around 10.20 pm Monday, Marshall and Ross were leaning on a wall on Phyllis Street when the occupants of a silver Mitsubishi Lancer opened fire, causing residents liming on the roadside to scamper for cover. The occupant of the house where the men were shot said she ran to the bedroom to cover her children as bullets came crashing through the wall and glass door.
Witnesses said Marshall began running away from the car, but the suspects followed and continued to shoot at him. He then ran in the opposite direction and collapsed on the corner of Grace Lane. Ross ran through a neighbouring property and was later found by his brother. Neighbours took both men to the hospital as they said an ambulance never arrived.
Police led by ASP Ali Mohammed and Insp Don Gajadhar searched the area but the suspects were not found. Sources said the suspects are a La Romaine drug peddler and the hitman responsible for the murders of Kern Joseph and Christopher Wells earlier this year in Pleasantville.
Marshall’s father, Shawn Marshall, said he heard his son was shot and taken to the hospital. On reaching, he was told Marshall was undergoing surgery. While police suspect that the men were targeted, Shawn said he believed his son was just collateral damage.
“We always say that it cannot happen to us until it comes to our door. All of here think that it cannot happen to us, but if we leave here now, someone could be at our house looking to rob us. He (Marshall) was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Shawn said.
Ross’ mother, Althea Williams, said her son and Marshall were liming and when the gunshots went off, both men tried to run away. Williams said she ran behind the counter of a parlour to take cover. She said life in La Romaine was bad as their are drug lords putting guns in the hands of young men. Ross’ brother Deshawn, who left the scene minutes before the shooting, said they saw the gunmen’s car circling the block several times before the shooting.
Despite reports, Henry’s son told the T&T Guardian that she was not shot, but sprained her ankle while taking cover. The man said when he saw what was happening, he ran to shield his mother, who was only visiting the country and is expected to return to the US in the coming weeks.
