Senior Reporter
jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday warned the nation’s youth to steer clear from a life of crime or face dire consequences.
Noting that members of the T&T Police Service are trained to respond to force used against them, he said, “The police are trained to shoot and they will shoot to kill if you threaten their lives and when you arm yourselves with a weapon like a gun, it means you have made a decision to use it and it doesn’t make sense to think that the law enforcement officers will wait to see what you do and how you use, so you are putting yourself in harm’s way.”
The Prime Minister’s warning came at the opening of the 2024 Agri Expo at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, as he addressed the killing of six alleged bandits by police in Freeport on Wednesday.
Among those shot were four people under the age of 25, and included a teenage girl. The victims have been identified as brothers Kadeem, 23, and Saleem John, 19; Isaiah Oliviere, 21; Jovan Simon, 31; Sham’e Nicholas Caesar, 27; and Salome Ranghill, 16.
Police said they tracked suspects involved in a home invasion to the house in Freeport and were greeted by gunfire when they arrived. Officers said they returned fire and later found the six dead in the house.
While he did not address the incident directly, Dr Rowley noted, “It appeared some bad choices were made.”
He further explained that challenging law enforcement was always a poor decision.
The Prime Minister also pleaded with the nation’s youth to factor in the consequences of the choices they make.
“I want to appeal to young people making decisions, don’t make that decision, it can only end badly for you, for your family and all of us.” The Prime Minister said criminals who believed they were emboldened by those around needed to reassess their lives.
“Don’t let anybody make you believe that you could shoot your way out of a situation with the police or the Defence Force, that is a bad decision.”
In a statement on Thursday, Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher said the latest shooting deaths of the six suspects linked to the Freeport robbery, “reveals a deeply troubling trend where young persons under the age of 25 are the primary subjects in many of our investigations into criminal activities.”
Harewood-Christopher said urgent intervention and a strong resolve were needed to address the issue.
“The important and crucial role of parents and guardians cannot be understated as you play the primary role of guiding our youth toward positive and constructive paths. We need to actively engage with young people, support them and help them to navigate through these turbulent times and steer them away from the appeal of criminal behaviour.”
On two separate occasions in the space of several days, police have responded with full force against a total of nine people who allegedly engaged in shootouts with them. Less than a week ago, teenagers Amir “Pa” Bissoon, 16, Joseph Ramjit and 21-year-old Jaya Jodi Barath, a mother of one, were killed in a police-involved shooting on the Caroni Savannah Road.
Police said they received a report of a car with occupants carrying guns and subsequently tried to intercept a white Nissan Almera speeding along the road. Officers said when they attempted to stop the car, the driver rammed the police vehicle and two gunshots were heard. The car ran off the road and two other gunshots were heard before police returned fire, hitting three occupants.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, who was also at the opening of the Agri Expo, noted that while he did not have sufficient facts to comment on Wednesday’s police-involved shooting, it was a troubling incident.
“Certainly, to have lost six lives, whatever the cause, is a loss to Trinidad and Tobago, particularly when it applies to youth and it is a concern for us that so many young people are getting themselves engaged in pursuits that attract the attention of law enforcement to result in this.”
Hinds said young persons lured by a life of crime must reconsider their position urgently.
“That is a very short-sighted ungodly position to take. Success is natural, failure is unnatural, love is natural, hate is unnatural, peace is natural, war is unnatural and you are a natural human being created by God and therefore you ought to behave naturally.”