Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
A Diego Martin man who was killed early yesterday morning is believed to have been the actual target of a gunman who shot at a Bagatelle father, injuring his 12-year-old daughter on Wednesday night.
Police said this is one of two theories they are pursuing in relation to the murder of 31-year-old Hansley “Egg Man” Gomez.
Police said Gomez and the child’s father are related and believe the gunman who shot at the vehicle the child was in, mistook the driver for Gomez.
The girl was shot when her father pulled into the driveway of his Bagatelle, Diego Martin home about 8.10 pm Wednesday. Residents said they were bracing for reprisal shootings after the child was shot.
Up to yesterday, the child remained hospitalised but her condition was said to be improving.
Police reported that around 2.10 am yesterday, officers responded to a report of gunshots at La Puerta, Diego Martin and found Gomez dead. Investigators say Gomez had two addresses, one at Fuller Street, Diego Martin and the other at Kavi Crescent, Petit Valley.
Officers were also working on the theory that Gomez’s murder may be a fallout over the disappearance of two men from the Diego Martin area, earlier this year and in 2023.
Officers say Gomez was charged at the age of 16 with the 2009 murder of Michael Lal, 41, of Ravine Road, Petit Valley. He was freed after Justice Norton Jack agreed with his attorneys Mario Merritt and Alexia Romero that their client’s purported confession was invalid as it was not given voluntarily since he was a minor and without legal counsel at the time.
Gomez’s killing took the murder count to 246 for the year.