Tobago laid to rest another victim of the violence plaguing the island yesterday, as the funeral for Nathan Roach was held.
Thirty-two-year-old Roach was sleeping at his Mt Pleasant home when gunmen stormed in and shot him several times on June 30, as the island braced for the impact of Hurricane Beryl.
A police report said around 11.55 pm, relatives heard a gunshot coming from his room.
Upon checking they found him unconscious bleeding from wounds about the body.
Roach was taken by his relatives to the Scarborough General Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival. He became Tobago’s 11th murder victim for 2024.
Before his funeral service at the Bethany Church of the Nazarene, a close relative told Guardian Media they preferred not to have any media coverage of the send-off. The relative added Roach’s loved ones were hoping to cope with his killing without additional publicity.
The relative said loved ones had been living in fear after media reports suggested that Roach’s murder may have led to the killing of six people, including a quadruple murder, which happened days after Roach was killed.
Instead, the relative who asked not to be named, said a fight after a party at the Dwight Yorke Stadium on June 29 may be linked to Roach’s murder.
In a one-minute video, which had been circulating on social media, people can be seen scampering as a group of men were fighting in the carpark area.
The relative claimed the man seen holding a chair, which he then used to hit another man, was Roach.
It was reported that one man was stabbed during the fight. But he said Roach was not responsible for the stabbing.
The relative added since news reports, Roach’s family has been fearful that they would be targeted.
He denied any speculation that Roach’s relatives had any involvement in the recent murders or were out to get revenge.
Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk told Guardian Media yesterday, Roach’s murder is still under investigation.
On Thursday Samuel McCain, who was one of four men shot dead in Black Rock, was laid to rest following a funeral service at the same church.
