An early morning shootout in San Fernando left a tourist from the Dominican Republic and two other men wounded yesterday. Business owners closed up their doors and nearby residents stayed inside their homes as more than 50 gunshots rang out outside a bar at the corner of Mount Moriah and Pointe-a-Pierre roads. When the smoke cleared, Anthony Ramsaran, 34, of Palm Street, Las Lomas, Brandon Rampersad, 22, of Indian Walk, Moruga and expatriate Socrateas Ariste, 40, of Santo Domingo, were wounded.
Ramsaran, who was shot in the face, was listed in a critical condition at the San Fernando General Hospital. Ariste and Rampersad were shot in the chest and legs, respectively, and were said to be stable conditions. A fourth man, believed to be a teenager, was on the run yesterday. It is believed that he too was shot. Police said Ramsaran, Rampersad and Ariste were liming at an all night fete at San Fernando Hill when they got into an argument with a group of men. A fight ensued, following which they were pursued. Cuthbert Chin Sang, who owns a shop on Pointe-a-Pierre Road, said he was inside when he heard the gunfire. “I pulled in my doors and waited until the police came. I did not see a thing,” he said.
DN Lightning Bar remained closed and several residents of Mount Moriah Road said they hid in their homes when they heard the gunshots. Police recovered more than a dozen spent shells at the scene. Led by Insp Don Gajadhar and Senior Supt Cecil Santana, the officers raided a house in Princes Town yesterday as they sought to recover the gun. Ariste’s relatives were contacted in Santo Domingo yesterday. Asp Ali, ASP Mohammed, Gajadhar and other Southern Division police are continuing investigations.
