A shooting in Laventille on Wednesday night has left one man dead and two men warded in hospital. The killing raised the murder toll for the year to 230. According to reports, around 11.15 pm, Akeem Gomez, 24, of Corbin Trace, Laventille, and two friends were walking along Sandy Trace, Laventille, when the group encountered two men. Police said without warning, the men drew guns and began shooting. Gomez was shot in his head and chest. His friends—Jamal Aberdeen, 24, and John Sylvester, 29, both of St Barb’s, Laventille—were both shot in their legs. The gunmen then ran away. Officers of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) responded and rushed the injured men to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.
Gomez was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital while his friends underwent emergency surgery. Aberdeen and Sylvester remained warded in stable condition up to late yesterday. Gomez’s body was taken to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, where a post-mortem was performed yesterday. When a news team from the T&T Guardian visited the centre yesterday, Gomez’s relatives said they did not want to comment on his death. Homicide detectives had not established a motive for the shooting up to late yesterday. ASP Ajith Persad and detectives of the Port-of-Spain CID are probing the shooting.
Meanwhile, a 26-year-old Tacarigua man remains warded in hospital after he was shot with an assault rifle during a robbery attempt near his home on Wednesday night. Police said around 11.40 pm, Anil Seerattan, of Maniram Road, Crown Street, Tacarigua, was standing at the corner of Jitman Drive and David Street, Kandahar, Tacarigua, when a car pulled alongside him. The back seat passenger of the car reportedly got out, pointed a rifle at Seerattan and demanded that he hand over his cash, jewelry and cellphone. Seerattan attempted to run away but the gunman opened fire, hitting him once in the back.
The gunman returned to the vehicle and it sped away. Seerattan was taken to the Arima Health Facility and was later transfered to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope. He was warded in a critical but stable condition up to yesterday. Investigators said ten spent 7.62 calibre shells were found near the scene. The high-powered ammunition is used in the Russian-made AK-47 assault rifle. Investigations are continuing.