Five days after a mysterious shooter killed pensioner Harrilal Jagroop and critically wounded his daughter, a Penal family continues to live in fear.
The killer left Jagroop’s one-year-old child crying in the blood-spattered house before escaping.
However, video footage gathered from the scene has given police clues as to the identity of the killer.
During an interview, Tuesday, Jagroop’s son Dave Surajbally said they were living in fear since the horrible ordeal occurred on Emancipation Day.
“We already lost one and we praying not to lose anymore. We are very worried. My father died a horrible death and what we are going through is not easy,” Surajbally said during an interview with Guardian Media.
He added that the baby, who survived the ordeal is now in the care of his grandmother Mary Kuarsingh.
“We are trying to be strong. We want the police to liaise with us and let us know what is going on,” Surajbally added. He noted that his injured sister Joyce, 21, remains warded in a critical condition at the San Fernando General Hospital. The bullet remains lodged in her head and doctors have already done surgeries to take out bone fragments from her head.
Surajbally said Joyce had been in a tumultuous relationship, which ended a few months ago but he had no idea if this had any bearing to the shooting.
He said the jilted lover came several times to reconcile but Joyce refused. Surajbally said he did not know if this had anything to do with the shooting. He noted that after the shooting the man came to visit Joyce at the hospital but since then he never returned to the family.
“My father come and dead now and he did not call us or visit. We are not saying he is involved. We do not know what happened,” Surajbally added.
On the day of the shooting both Jagroop and Joyce were at home at Batchiya Trace, Penal when the killer opened fire on them. They lived alone. Around 8 pm, neighbours heard the baby crying and found the father and daughter unconscious. They were rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital where they underwent emergency surgery. Jagroop died last Saturday.
His funeral is expected to take place at 9 am at the family’s Halliday Trace, Penal Rock Road home. The body will then be taken to the house in Batchiya before being taken for cremation at the Mosquito Creek.
Police said they are working on several leads and will make an arrest shortly. Region Three Homicide Bureau officers are continuing investigations.