Tuesday February 9th, 2010
- Last update:12 hours 26 min ago
Man upset he can’t get work, so he kills
Published: 26 Oct 2009
Bhagan Gopie
A man who was upset because he could not get work ran amok at a construction site at Longdenville on Saturday, killing a private contractor and robbing several people. The incident occurred around 7.15 pm at Dam Road, Riverview Park, Longdenville. Police said Bhagan Gopie, 47, the owner of Bhagan Gopie Contractors Co, died after being bludgeoned. He suffered massive internal injuries and a fractured skull, after being hit multiple times with a concrete block and an iron excavation tool called a luchette. A witness who requested anonymity said around 7.15 pm, Gopie and seven workers, including himself, went to the private development site at River View Park. He said they were hired to construct a house for a police officer, who had purchased land at the development site, where several more houses were being constructed by other contractors.
The witness explained that when they arrived, they got word that a former employee who was allegedly fired for stealing at another construction project, ran amok at the development site and began attacking workers. “The man was saying that if he don’t get work, nobody working at that site,” the witness said. “He was beating people and robbing them of their money. He asked one man for something to eat and the man offered him a doubles, but he threw it away and say he don’t want doubles.” He explained that workers at the site started running from the assailant. They ran towards Gopie who fled into his van. The witness said the assailant took up a broken concrete block and smashed it on Gopie’s head. He was knocked unconscious. “We tried to defend him but the man is a strong Rasta man...He took up the luchette and he started to beat the boss all over his head,” the witness recalled.
At least seven people pulled the assailant away from Gopie, who was bleeding profusely. His face was swollen and blood was pouring from his eyes and ears. One of the workers carried Gopie into a vehicle and took him to the San Fernando General Hospital, where he died. Police officers later arrived on the scene and arrested the suspect. The luchette and part of the broken concrete block were seized by the police. Investigators said the suspect would be charged with murder. Meanwhile, Gopie’s wife, who did not give her name, said she was upset by media reports that her husband was killed at a bar. She said Gopie was well-loved in his community of Gasparillo and he did not drink alcohol. Chaguanas police are continuing investigations.
Black on Indian crime
Black on Indian crime continues.
This is extremely unfortunate and disturbing and it goes to show that Black on Indian crime is continuing unabated in this country.
Let us hope that all the unemployed Indians in the country who are being marginalized and discriminated against by this current Government do not react in the same manner.
We could be sitting on a powder keg that could easily explode, with all the frustrating that is being experienced and all the wanton discrimination and corruption that is taking place.
Black on Indian crime? ummmm
Black on Indian crime? ummmm PLEASE DO NOT DO IT!it's people like YOU that are trying to instil the idea that Trinidad has a racial problem--> the man was going to kill somebody ANYWAY want to know why? because he was FRUSTRATED and at his wit's end--> you'll see they'll send him to St. Ann's so STOP trying to start the race discussion--> i've REALLY HAD ENOUGH OF IT!
So, if the project contractor was Dougla (which a large percentage of the population IS)--> what would you say THEN?!
see how SILLY that was!
Pitiful Situation -- While
Pitiful Situation --
While the obvious reality is that Trinidad does have "racial problems", it does not have to be a factor in every crime that occurs. However, racism in Trinidad must be acknowledged. "What if the project contractor was dougla" is an equally irrelevant statement, since it would still be a race issue. A human being was senselessly killed - in an agonizing manner. The killer was enraged by the conditions of his own life. What a sad world T&T has become. ~ Integrity Matters
Not sure how to read into
Not sure how to read into your comments, but the overtone sure sounds like it ok if you are at your "wits end" to take it out on innocent people...even kill them!! Secondly do you have any proven facts on the "majority stats" you made about majority dougla bossed??
Collateral Damage Mr
Collateral Damage Mr Minister and Mr Acting CoP?
Oh gorm, give legitimate businessmen firearms to defend themselves please.
I am not a gambling man, but I can wager that the victim might have been an applicant for a firearms users licence and was turned down or just sitting there waiting for the wheels of the police service to be greased.
With one more businessman gone, what would be the fate of his company and employees? More people on the breadline perhaps? These horrific murders have far reaching social and economic implications, but I guess no one really cares.
My heartfelt condolences go out to his family.
http://dsaltsman.blogspot.com/
Ethnic cleansing ?????
Ethnic cleansing ?????
That is such a stupid
That is such a stupid question it almost did not need a response - but had to put in my two cents. Geez - get real.
...yes indeed!...
...yes indeed!...
Maybe it's UDECOTT getting
Maybe it's UDECOTT getting rid of its competition.
BLACK ON BLACK CRIME
BLACK ON BLACK CRIME -
Speaking as a black man. The degree of black on black crime it does tantamount to self inflicted ethnic cleansing and needs to be analysed from a sociological perspective. It is not yet criminal ethnic cleansing African on Indian per se but if the trend continues it would most likely jump the railings. So we all have a vested interest in finding a solution to the problem.In the political arena we have Indian on Indian Ethnic Cleansing.
Fairplay boy ah tought yuh
Fairplay boy ah tought yuh wuz ah white man....LOLOL...kidding, keep the comments coming.
I AM A WHITE MAN
I AM A WHITE MAN -
I am a white man , it is only that my freckles are close together.
Our People Out of
Our People Out of Control:
According to the information in this article the man accused of killing Mr. Gopie was angry because he lost his job and could not be rehired.
We are not medically trained to assume the frame of mind of the 'killer' but it would appear that he was unable to cope with life's challenges; whether he was depressed, under the influence of foreign substance, etc. His behaviour was not that of a person who was in control of his senses; he robbed the others and then turned on Mr. Gopie. Some may say he behaved like an insame man. But we may never know.
He took the life of an innocent man and we are left to womder what really drove him to behave so out of control, that he would take the life of another. The behaviour of our people is gettig so out of control, that we have to wonder if there is perhaps anything we can do as a people to turn back the tide. Or is there no hope?
My sympathies to Mr. Gopie's family.
Gardenia
This is a real tragedy
This is a real tragedy visited on a hardworking man, his family and his workers by some kind of raging bull madman. Why didn't he check out Hart for a job? It appears that the killer was dismissed by another employer for allegedly stealing. The fact that he went about robbing his victims would lend credence to the accusation of his previous dismissal. His disdainful reaction to the offer of food also says a lot about this lowlife criminal.
While we do not know all the facts in the matter, this unfortunate and vile deed is indicative of the grave decadence plaguing the society. Life is no longer precious or sacred. I won't be surprised that this man was some kind of drug addict or mentally ill or both.
If things continue at this rate, we are looking at a record-breaking total of at least 540 murders by the end of the year. Crime is out of control and the police seem incapable of "arresting" the problem.
Come on now, the report says
Come on now, the report says he got fired for stealing from his previous job site....and he was bulling & robbing people, so what frame of mind do you think he was really in????
I don't think it is ethnic
I don't think it is ethnic cleansing, because it can happen to either races. People are people who can get desperate, act ignorant or have no reason. What they need to do is have consideration for others. It is a very sad day when someone gets killed. I am very sorry for the lost of this life. But people also know that they can do anything and get away with it because the law of the land is so laps, the govt is in la la land. Very sad indeed!
I cannot believe some of the
I cannot believe some of the comments by bloggers on this news story. Here we have a contractor being murdered by a mad man and all we can talk about is race? And here I thought that this was an educated bunch of highly intellectual people. I feel so duped.
Come on now guys don't bring
Come on now guys don't bring the race talk or ethnic cleansing
concerning this matter. We do not know the frame of mind this man was when he attacked the others, it could have been anybody of any race. A few years ago in China, the same thing happened so let's not
point our finger at any race. We are all brothers and sisters of the same planet regardless what the politicans are trying to do, and from time to time we may be faced with the same situation with
different results. Neverthless my heart goes out to this man family
for the lost of this valuable life.
This was a very violent act
This was a very violent act that resulted in the loss of a husband, a father, a son, a friend, an employer and a hard working person.
I knew Bhagan, also known as 'Peno'. He has worked in construction since the age of 16, and through his hard work and determination he built up his business and reputation, and became a very sought after contractor over the years. My condolences go out to his wife, his kids, his parents, brothers and sister.
Peno died very violently and unnecessarily, in fact his killing was senseless. But I would hope that it was not in vain and has served to remind us of our own vulnerability to crime in this nation that has become infested with desperation and lawlessness. However hope is never lost and we can each make a difference to changing this culture through our own individual acts of kindness and goodness.
I did not know the victim,
I did not know the victim, but what you've said confirms my immediate sentiments when I first read the news.
What a waste of a productive life.
I am honestly shocked that
I am honestly shocked that people have been able to draw the discussion into one on race. No where in the article is the race of the alleged attacker identified. Yet we have people posting and responding as though it is confirmed fact that the attacker was afro-trinidadian. Even if this is proven does every afro trinidian who kills someone of another race do it for Race. Similarly, because one Indo-Trinidadian murders an afro-trinidadian child does that mean that all Indo-trinidians are engaged in ethnic cleansing?? People be sensible.
We knock our leaders all the time for small minded thinking yet we continue to engage in it. Sometimes if we really want a better country and place we need to be the change that we seek.
Be the change you want to see
"To put the world right in
"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right" (Confucius)
This is a most heinous and
This is a most heinous and dastardly crime, however you look at it. I suspect the description of the assailant as "a strong Rasta man" might have evoked the comment and the first blog.
Politicians on both sides of the divide through their actions, inactions and utterances continue to use the race bogey to to suit their selfish purposes in keeping with the colonial politics of "Divide et Impera". And the feeble minded talk show hosts and callers lap it up and continue to spew raw racial sewage.
It is up to the decent majority of citizens to reject this kind of politics practiced by both government and opposition or this country will never fulfill its true potential as a united Nation.
Whenever or wherever we see or hear acts or words of discrimination, instead of encouraging, condoning or applauding them, silently or vocally, we must show our total disapproval, disdain, disgust and condemnation. We never had this problem before party politics were introduced. Then we broke the stranglehold in 1986 only for the "one love" dream to be shattered by the selfish and myopic leaders.
But we cannot give up. And we must not give up. We faltered but we must get up and try again, again and again if ever we are to become one Nation and a proud and patriotic people. We all belong here and we must reassure each other of this fact and reality by our every word and deed.
...an all to frequent
...an all to frequent violent act of savagery that mars living in T&T...condolences to these men's relatives...
D-ONLY-TRUE-TRINI Please
D-ONLY-TRUE-TRINI
Please allow me to highlight that one of the major contributors fuelling the fire of racist tendencies by the populace continues to be the absolute IRRESPONSIBILITY of certain media houses in Trinidad and Tobago. The reporting of this incident ... e.g. making reference to a "rastaman" as the perpetrator; and in another case, reporting that the incident took place at a bar.... can only serve to lead the readership (and the population as a whole) along a certain path or paths. While the (written) media is a necessary arm of the communication mechanism globally, it cannot function without RESPONSIBILITY. The reporting of incidents like this one, as indeed of so many hundreds ... nay... thousands of others in local media must adopt a less irresponsible approach. Editors must begin to discharge their journalistic responsibility with much more concern for the distress they contribute to a nation and its children.
In closing, may I add my own sentiments of condolences to this distraught family. This man, who I also know as Mr. Pino, has only recently performed renovations on my home. He was without a doubt a man of the highest integrity, with good morals, generous and a religious and ethical family man. The community of Gasparillo, south Trinidad and the entire nation is made poorer by this senseless act of thuggery and cowardice.
Unfortunately, the remark
Unfortunately, the remark “We tried to defend him but the man is a strong Rasta man" brought the race factor into the discussion. However, the assailant's race does not define or explain his state of mind or serve as a precursor for his criminal behaviour. If the victim was of another race or ethnicity, he/she would probably have sufferd the same fate at the hands of this obviously deranged individual.
SENSITIVITY TRAINING -
SENSITIVITY TRAINING - Progressive:
I have observed that some of us read articles and quickly turn our attention to the descriptives:- physical and otherwise, of the persons involved, rather than on the main factor, as in this case the murder of an innocent hard working family man. This violation should cause us to raise our voices in anger and frustration.
In this particular case the murder of an innocent man at the hands of an apparently out-of-control indivudual should be the point that grabs our attention and make us ask many questions as to why something like this could happen to our people. We could do our mini brain-storming session and come up with possible reasons why this type of behaviour could occur; as we have the ability to think and reason. By doing so we may get some answers. And most of us can use this platform to raise our questions, and I am sure that there are many among us who would be more than willing to respond with possible intelligent answers or suggestions, or even ask further questions. When all is said and done, we may even come to the conclusion that we may be able to step in and try to assist somewhere in our community, or even send a letter to our politicians: - The Prime Minister, or the Minister involved.
However, if we look at the ethnicity, colour of skin, the clothes being worn, and other mannerisms, etc. of the persons in this brutality, we inadvertently (in error) show disrespect to the person who was murdered and ultimately his family and by extention our community. I am sure Mr. Gopie's wife and children would not ask 'What did he look like; What was he wearing, etc: But rather they would ask - 'WHY DID HE KILL MY HUSBAND, FATHER, SON, WHY? why?' etc.
This is a learning process, and may I be bold enough to ask that the next time we read an article that we zero in on the most important factor first. The other smaller details will just follow through as they are not really important in giving us substantive information to justify why such an act was allowed to happen.
This message is not to chastise anyone, or show disrespect, or 'put anyone in their place', but rather to draw attention to the fact that we may waste valuable energies in going after unimportant things instead of the big violations that are harming us and our communities.
Thank you for indulging me by reading my notes.
Gardenia
First my condolences to the
First my condolences to the family, from reading all the blogs there are a few question no one seems to have asked with regards to race....
is there "indian rasta too"...YES, not many but YES, so the black on indian crime is not proven, only assumed!! The report doesn't say black, white, or brown rasta, so its assumed by all bloggers.
The next is the "rasta issue", if their description of the man comitting the crime is a rastaman, then how else, or what else are they supposed to say if thats what they saw???
Finally how the hell one man can have so many grown men running....ONE MAN???? Don't these men have any balls to stand up and fight back against ONE MAN!!!
WHEN ARE WE BEING RACIAL
WHEN ARE WE BEING RACIAL -
I was proud that Obama was the first black President of the Unites States, was I being racial? I was proud that Eric Williams was the first African PM of T&T was I being racial? I was proud that Panday was the first Indian PM, was I being racial?
PS: Not all Rastas are Africans.
Fairplay, my friend was this
Fairplay, my friend was this message directed at me? or the other blogger?
The reason I did my comments on sensitivity training was because I noticed a number of bloggers went on a rampage with negative racial overtones instead of directing their attention on the crime committed, and it made me very uncomfortable. The examples you referenced in your blog is not racial, as I have used them myself when the time was right. If I offended you, please let me know and we can sort out the message if it got lost in translation.
Gardenia
GENERAL STATEMENT
GENERAL STATEMENT -
Gardenia my friend.
It was a general statement to no one in particular. I do sometimes blog like that. Sometimes I am more targeted. I try to put the name of the person I am responding in those instances. But you might have been the victim of collateral damage.