The murder suspect killed by police on Thursday night was shot five times, once in the left arm as he tried to protect himself from the lawmen’s bullets.
This was revealed following the autopsy done by pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov on the body of Stephan “Ninja” Awong. According to police around 9.30 pm on Thursday, Awong, 26, was seen by officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force walking along Seventh Avenue Malick Barataria. The officers claimed he pointed a firearm at them when they approached him and before he could let off a shot, he was shot. He was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The autopsy said four shots penetrated his chest, perforating his lungs and heart. He died of massive haemorrhaging.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian at the Forensic Science Centre yesterday, Awong’s girlfriend, who did not want to be identified, said he had just left home, no more than five minutes when she heard what she thought was fireworks. She added that Awong, a father of two, has three pending gun related matters and had only started a job at a construction site in Chaguaramas the day he was killed. She said Awong “lived a life” but that was in the past and he was changing his life for the better.
Police say he was a suspect in the killing of Terrance “DJ Pop Skull” Ramdin, who was killed on June 10 when he went with friends at Seventh Avenue, Malick Barataria, to retrieve a laptop. Police said as Ramdin and his friends were waiting near a vehicle, a gunman opened fire on them. All three were shot, however, the 19-year-old died.
Awong’s girlfriend said the family will not be reporting the matter to the Police Complaints Authority since she believes the police will always be victorious.
“I not going through all of that because the government system is not a fair thing. Whatever we say at the end of the day them is the law so I not going through that long process. To the police, God don’t sleep. I know him if he had something on him he would of run” she said.
Awong’s brother Hakim Joseph, said since the killing his brother was targeted by police who he said blamed him since the shooting took place not too far from Awong’s home. Joseph said his older brother was not around when the shooting took place and had been deemed “a pest” by police in the area. He claimed officers threatened to kill his brother and him following the killing. Awong, he said was arrested twice in relation to the killing of Ramdin and released without charge as there was no evidence against him.
The shooting came one day after police killed two men who robbed a bar in central Trinidad. Close friends Keiron Mitchell, 23 from Trincity and Desmond Samuel, 26 of Las Lomas were killed near the cemetery at Madras Road after Harry’s NYC Bar St Helena, stealing $2,000. A third man remains on the run.
