The country’s murder toll increased by two yesterday with the shooting death of a 36-year-old man, who had reported to the police that his life was under threat, and another man. One of the victims was identified as James Granderson, of Peters Avenue, Carapo, who was killed around 7 am yesterday, police said. Three gunmen entered Granderson’s home and starting shooting at him. He tried to escape by running through a back door and through his neighbour’s yard.
Police said Granderson tried to climb a nearby fence but his pants caught in it and he fell. As he lay on the ground, the men shot him repeatedly, killing him instantly. In the second murder, around 3.30 pm the E-999 Rapid Response Unit received a call that an unidentified man had been found in an abandoned lot at Nicholas Ville, off Mission Road, San Juan. The man, of African descent, is believed to have been shot in the head, police said.
Officials of the Homicide Bureau also have added the foetus of 21-year-old Lemeeliah Goumel to the murder toll. On January 30, Goumel’s decomposing body was found at her Shepherd Lane, Coalmine, Sangre Grande, apartment after neighbours complained of a foul smell from the room. Near the body was a seven-month-old foetus, which investigators believed had been expelled while Goumel bled to death.
An initial autopsy done by pathologist Dr Hughvon des Vignes the day after she was discovered said she had committed suicide. A review of the report on February 1 found Goumel had been murdered, as both her wrists had been slit. The latest killings have taken the murder toll to 75. The comparable figure for last year stood at 65.