A recent upsurge in shootings, armed robberies and killings in Damarie Hill, Sangre Grande, has forced residents of the area into a self-imposed lockdown.
In 15 months, Sangre Grande has been rocked by 22 murders. A compilation of data showed that between January 2022 and this month there were 20 gun-related deaths, one police-involved killing and the fatal stabbing of a resident in the bustling district (See box). Of the 20 people who were gunned down in the last four months, four were killed either close to or on Blake Avenue.
The most tragic was the murder of six-year-old Kylie Maloney in January. Maloney was lying in a bed when she was shot in her chest by men dressed in camouflage clothing. Three of Maloney’s relatives suffered gunshot wounds. The other victims were Benji Russell, David Hinds and Stephon Saroopsingh.
Two weeks ago, Saroopsingh, 20, the father of a three-month-old baby, was shot multiple times a short distance from where Maloney was killed. He was liming with a group of friends in front of a fruit stall on Blake Avenue when two armed men emerged from nearby bushes and opened fire on the group.
Last September, two children ages six and three were among seven people shot and injured at a wake on Blake Avenue.
In addition to murders, there has been a series of armed robberies in the area which is now regarded as a crime hotspot,.r
But Blake Avenue is not the only community in Sangre Grande where there has been an increase in violent crimes. In the last year, there have been murders at Picton Road Extension, Gilkes Street, Buttercup Avenue, Madoosingh Drive and Rodney Lane, to name a few.
In January, Sherwyn Bernard was murdered at his Vega De Oropouche businessplace.
Several months earlier, in May of 2022, the killing of Jimmy Thomas sparked outrage and condemnation on social media. Thomas was allegedly gunned down on the corner of Boodoo Circular Road by two men during an attempt to steal his gold chain.
The discovery of the bullet-riddled bodies of Jermarc Quashie, Terrence Nixon and Skette Sanchez in a car on the Toco Main Road last January sent shockwaves throughout the district.
The largest town in the northeastern region, Sangre Grande, which means “big blood”, has seen a proliferation of gun violence, murders and criminal activities as criminal gangs wage war against one another.
There is also a high rate of poverty and unemployment in the district which covers 898 square kilometres and has the highest concentration of squatters in the country.
Armed robbery
in broad daylight
Damarie Hill residents, who spoke to the Sunday Guardian on condition of anonymity, admitted they are living in fear as the crime situation has worsened in recent weeks.
A woman who lives on Blake Avenue Extension said the community is being terrorised by a group of men, two of whom are well known to the police and linked to the drug world.
“They have men robbing people in broad daylight in the back here...stealing people’s building materials. Imagine this is what we reached to,” she said.
Just before Christmas, gangsters, armed with guns and cutlasses, held up a man in his home and carted away several of his belongings.
“They emptied his fridge. They stole his building materials and household equipment,” the resident said.
Not long after, the criminals invaded the home of a woman at Farm Road, Turure.
“They also went into the squatting settlement in Bois Bande...and beat up a woman and take away her weed whacker.”
Blake Avenue is a stone’s throw from Bois Bande, a squatter settlement.
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“Right now, they are warring and there will be casualties. What we want is peace. Unfortunately, that is not the case,” a resident noted.
An elderly resident, who described the killings as a total breakdown of law and order, commented: “It’s lawlessness at the highest order. People are scared for their lives. That is the long and short of it.”
Another resident said some leaders in the community have been trying to reach out to the gang members.
“You cannot live long with that criminal lifestyle. The Bible says if you live by the sword you will die by the sword but we have not been having any significant results as yet,” he said.
“All they see is what is in front of them. However, we are not giving up. We live here. We cannot get up and run. It’s a difficult situation for us because there is hardly anyone in the community who has not been touched by them. It’s affecting all of us.”
Sangre Grande North West councillor Nasser Hosein said he noticed an increase in murders at Damarie Hill and that serious crimes were being committed at Bois Bande Settlement.
“It’s a small group of people who have been giving certain areas a bad name. A lot of serious crimes are not reported to the police due to fear,” he said.
Hosein said the police are trying their best but he is calling for more boots on the ground.
Senior superintendent of the Eastern Division Ryan Khan blamed the situation on an upsurge in gang activity.
“That first murder with the child (referring to Maloney) occurred as a result of that. Yes, there are gangs and sometimes some of the murders will be a result of retaliation from one gang to the next,” he said.
Khan said he met with some of the villagers to discuss the situation two weeks ago but days later Saroopsingh was murdered.
“We continue to put things in place for the long and short term,” Khan said.
He said while the division has been working in the community, other forms of intervention are needed.
“We need to reach teenagers as young as 14 years old to change their lifestyles,” he said.
Teenagers going astray
There are concerns about the large number of teenagers in the district who seldom attend classes, have no parental guidance and fall into the wrong crowd.
“They are unsupervised. They have a lot of free time on their hands. That was part of the complaints we had at the meeting,” Khan revealed.
A large squatting district located at the back of Damarie Hill has been attracting strangers, he said. Poverty is also evident.
“When new people come to the area, we don’t know who they are. So, we have to go into those areas and try to intervene in some way.”
According to Khan, although gangs members have been robbing and distressing residents, information is being withheld from the police.
“So we have a trust issue. We have to rebuild the trust in the community with them. It will take time for us to really get the results we want,” he admitted.
Khan said the police need all on board in the fight against gangs and other criminal elements.
Efforts to get comments fromToco/Sangre Grande MP Roger Monroe on the situation with crime in his constituency were unsuccessful. Calls to his cell phone went unanswered.