A jovial lime among friends ended tragically when a San Fernando father of two was shot dead at his home on Sunday night. Graphic designer Joel Pasea, 33, died in his downstairs neighbour’s apartment at his Sunset Strip Drive, Green Acres home after an argument with friends. Police reports said Pasea was with his wife, Carol, and children Emily, 11, and Mustapha, five months, when two men came to visit. Carol said when Pasea opened the door, he acknowledged the men by name and they went out in the yard. “All I know is that we were upstairs with the two children and somebody called him outside and it was one of his friends,” she said. “When he opened the door and saw the guys he said, ‘Oh, is you.’ Then they went downstairs and stayed about half an hour discussing something. “He came back to get a Supligen and he gave the fellas, and with that I just heard them fighting and scrambling and he bawled out. They carried him inside the room. “It was two guys but I only saw one of the guys.”
Crime scene detectives led by WPC Nysus said the suspects struck Pasea on the head and followed him into a neighbour’s apartment, where they shot him in the chest. Police said the suspects escaped in a white Toyota Yaris. No one had been held for the murder up to last evening. Carol waited for hours at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday among a dozen other families waiting for autopsies on their loved ones after last weekend’s murder count of 13 in four days. The murder toll now stands at 226, an average of just over one murder per day. She said from the moment she heard the screams, she called the police but by the time Supt James, ASP Seedarie and Insp Deboulet arrived at her home, her husband had already died. “From the time I heard the scrambling and bawling I called the police. They called me back and we kept talking on the phone till they came.
“My daughter saw the guy and now she’s just a little shaken up at what happened. Right now I really don’t what to say,” Carol said. Reeling from the death of her eldest child, Grace Pasea said her son had worked hard from the age of 16 and was able to start his own business making advertising signs. The traumatised mother said the crime situation was now out of control, saying that Government was not doing anything about it. “What is the Government doing? They are only spinning top in mud. Thirteen murders in less than a week. Time to get rid of this Government. “My son would have celebrated his 34th birthday this month and he was looking forward to christening his child,” Grace said.