Derek Achong
Four people were murdered in Tunapuna, St Joseph, and Penal between Friday night and yesterday morning.
According to reports, the first murder took place around 9.45 pm at Francis Lane, Second Trace, Maingot Road in Tunapuna.
Shawn Bridgelal, 42, was reportedly smoking at his home with two friends when a gunman entered the house and began shooting at them.
Bridgelal's friend, who was seated on a chair, was shot several times.
The man, who was only identified by his alias "Jammy" up to late yesterday, was pronounced dead on the scene by a District Medical Officer (DMO).
Bridgelal attempted to run towards his sister's house, which is located behind his home but was shot in his hip and leg. His other friend managed to evade the gunshots and escaped unscathed.
Police officers who responded to a report of the shooting took Bridgelal to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope for treatment. He remained warded in a stable condition up to late yesterday.
Almost an hour after the Tunapuna incident, homicide detectives were summoned to the scene of another shooting at Riverside Road in St Joseph.
According to reports, around 10.40 pm, Dion Morris and Shade Joseph, both 34, were at Morris' home with friends and relatives when a gunman entered the house.
The gunman shot at the group before running away.
Morris and Joseph, of Streatham Lodge, Tunapuna, were taken to the hospital where they died while undergoing treatment.
Police believe that high-powered assault rifles were used to commit both shootings as 5.56 calibre spent shells were recovered by crime scene investigators at both locations.
Meanwhile, a Ministry of Works labourer was shot dead at his Penal home.
Yesterday, the man's family remained baffled over the murder of Nick Pathay, who was shot over a dozen times outside his Penal home on Friday night.
Pathay, 53, was asleep with his wife, Jennifer Pathay, 55, at their Ali Avenue home around 11:20 pm when they heard their dog barking.
Hamid Pathay, father of Nick Pathay.
RISHI RAGOONATH
Pathay got up to investigate and shortly after gunmen riddled the wooden house with bullets. Jennifer hid and when the gunfire cleared, she found her husband lying dead on the floor. He was lying on his belly in a crouched position, clad in blue and white boxer shorts and bareback. The body bore gunshots to the leg, chest, head and back. Their dog had a burst eye and a broken leg after being kicked by the gunmen.
Pathay's father, Hamid, 82, said he came to the scene afterwards and was blocked by the police who had cordoned off the crime scene.
"I don't live here, so I don't know what happened," Pathay's father said.
Baffled about the murder, his father said he did not know if Pathay had any enemies.
"To me, he was the best son in the world."
The elderly man described Pathay as a hard-working and helpful person.
"His daughter is a police officer and when the shooting happened the family tried to call the Penal police. Nobody was answering the phone." He explained that he did not know whether his son had any enemies.
The distraught man said he was disappointed with the terrible crime rate in T&T.
"My daughter-in-law says they called several numbers trying to get the police, but nobody answered the phone. Eventually, his daughter, the officer, called someone in the high authorities and then the senior police came here."
The police recovered several 9 mm spent shells on the front porch of the house.
The body was removed to the San Fernando mortuary where an autopsy will be done on Monday. Officers of Homicide Region Three are continuing investigations.
The killings raised the country's murder count for the year to 76.
Detectives of the Region Two Homicide Bureau are continuing investigations.