Almost two months after Carlsen Field residents appealed for help, saying they were under siege by bandits, the community is distraught after a deadly home invasion. Agriculture and livestock farmers at Connector Road have expressed fears of even venturing out into their backyards to tend to crops and animals, as they would be “sitting ducks” for criminals roaming the area.
On Monday, Christopher Christian, 27, a livestock farmer who worked alongside his father and brother at St James Market, died after being shot in the chest during a home invasion. His 66-year-old father, who was shot multiple times, was hospitalised in a stable condition.
Brichnu Dass, 66, who lives next door to the grieving family, said when he saw Christopher lying motionless in a pool of blood, “I almost fainted away. It shocked me to the core.”
In an interview yesterday, Dass revealed that he has been uptight and scared since the incident. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t rest last night (Monday),” he said.
Revealing his fear of going into his backyard to tend to his livestock and crops, Dass explained, “All now, I would be working on the farm. With this killing, I cannot function. I’m just trying to hold myself together.”
He questioned, “How can you overcome something like this when it is so close to home?” Dass said other farmers had also expressed a sense of hopelessness as criminal elements seemed to be getting the upper hand on law-abiding citizens. He claimed Carlsen Field had turned into a haven for home invasions and was no longer a safe community to live in. This, he said, was evident “more so within the last couple of months, as there have been a lot of incidents here ... and nothing, nothing is being done by lawmen.”
Noah Christian, 21, confirmed his family had attempted to defend themselves during the attack by using a cutlass to ward off the suspects. But, he acknowledged, it was no match against a gun. Noah said the family was fearful the suspects could return at any time.
The series of home invasions, which were first highlighted in May, included brutal beatings and severe sexual assaults in Carlsen Field. Noah recalled that he had been praying at the time when the armed suspects forced their way into the house. “I was behind my father and brother,” he said. Describing his brother as a hard worker, Noah added, “He was not a limer or a drinker.”
While it is still too early to say if the family would be looking to move out of the area, he said their main concern was to ensure their father’s continued recovery and to lay Christopher to rest. “It is not safe any more.”
He again called for an increased police presence in the area, as he speculated that there were other families who were living through the same nightmare. “We never see any police in the area.” Shiraz Khan lives 300 metres from the Christian family. He said the early morning murder had left him and the entire community in shock and despair. “Christopher is dead because he fought the intruders. Not everybody will take licks and stay quiet. Nothing in this community is going well,” he said.
The livestock farmer, whose home was also invaded by bandits, said when the Praedial Larceny (PL) Unit had sufficient vehicles, home invasions were not so rampant. He speculated, “Their patrols served as a deterrent.” The unit, he said, now operates with one vehicle. To make matters worse, Khan said there have been few patrols by officers from the Freeport and Chaguanas Police Stations. “These criminals are killing hard-working and honest people, dedicated farmers,” he said.
Khan said the community is praying for the injured man to pull through. He added, “I have not stopped praying for him. Everyone is praying that God spares his life. We are thinking positively.”