Head of the Homicide Bureau ACP Wayne Dick said yesterday that his officers have had little to no sleep since Carnival Friday with nine separate killings throughout the country. In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Dick said that his men and women are stressed by the number of reports. He commended his officers for being committed to the challenge and “demonstrating their heroism.”
Three unidentified victims were named yesterday by police. The first to be identified was Phillip Joseph, who was stabbed to death with his own knife on Wrightson Road, Carnival Friday. According to police reports, Joseph attempted to rob a 23-year-old Maloney man and his 19-year-old female companion of a gold chain.
Both men struggled and Joseph was stabbed during the scuffle. The 23-year-old Maloney man who Joseph tried to rob is in police custody as officers seek guidance from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dick said.
Later that day 18-year-old Ishmael Alleyne, of Lodge Place, Laventille was shot dead. Alleyne was an outpatient of St Ann’s Mental Hospital. Thirdly, the man killed at Guardier Street, Point Cumana was identified as 24-year-old Jamal “Bad Rat” Pascal of Maraval. Pascal’s body was found around 4.45 am Saturday morning. The murder toll is now 89 for the year with the corresponding figure for the same period last year at 88.