Two suspected robbers were shot dead by police moments before they were reportedly about to commit their latest crime. Police said around 3.45 am yesterday officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force (NEDTF) led by Insp Roger Alexander and Cpl Sunil Bharath received information that three heavily armed men were driving through Santa Cruz on their way to rob a family. Police spotted the bandits’ gold Nissan Almera near Bourg Mulatresse and attempted to track it without raising the suspects’ suspicion. The suspects, however, realised they were being followed and sped up, leading to a chase.
When the driver of the car eventually ran off the road near to Jaggan Village, Upper Santa Cruz, the men got out, reportedly drew guns and shot at police. Police returned fire, wounding two of the men, while the third, believed to be the driver, ran away. The two wounded men were taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, but were pronounced dead on arrival by doctors at the Accident and Emergency Department. Two loaded guns—a .40 calibre Smith and Wesson pistol and a .38 revolver and several spent shells were recovered on the scene.
One of the dead men was later identified as Abba Diaz, 26, of Blackford Street, Santa Cruz, while the other remained unidentified up to late yesterday. When police checked, he did not have any identification documents on him.
Investigators are expected to scan the police database with his fingerprints in an attempt to identify him. Post-mortems will be performed on their bodies at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, on Monday. The suspect, who managed to slip away from police, is well known to police and is said to be a 29-year-old resident of Upper Pipiol Road in Santa Cruz. Investigators said both Diaz and the wanted fugitive are well known to police and both had been recently released on bail after appearing in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court on arms and ammunition charges. “We really don’t know the third man. It doesn’t appear that he was from up here (Santa Cruz),” a police source said.
The two suspects have raised the toll of civilians to be killed by police for the year to 28. Ten of the police killings have occurred in the North Eastern Division, according to statistics complied by the T&T Guardian However, unlike the recent deaths of teenage cousins Tevin Alexander, 15, and Hakeem Alexander, 16 and that of 21-year-old Chaquille Mc Coy in two separate shooting in Morvant almost two weeks ago, yesterday incident did not spark protests in the Santa Cruz community. Investigations are continuing.