Brian Lara’s nephew among 3 killed in separate incidents
Three men were murdered in separate incidents in Couva, Point Fortin and Santa Cruz between Wednesday night and yesterday.
In the latest incident, the nephew of West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara was gunned down along Mitchell Street in Santa Cruz
Police said Mashama Lara, 33, a fisherman, had just arrived at his home and parked his pickup on the roadway, when he was ambushed by two men who shot him before escaping in a waiting vehicle. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
Police had no motive for the killing up to last night.
Commenting on the murder hours after, acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob again urged the public to provide intelligence to the authorities so that they can act to prevent some of these killings before they occur.
Although the motive for Lara’s murder remained unclear up to that time, Jacob said the investigation was going at a pace.
Acknowledging the upsurge in shootings and killings within the North Eastern Division in recent weeks, he pointed to Santa Cruz and Barataria as two areas where they had recorded such spikes.
He said they had a lot of additional patrols on the ground but appealed for the public’s help.
“What will help us build our intelligence, to help us truly identify what is happening and assist us in taking proactive measures, is to get information,” Jacob said.
Pointing out that patrols alone were not enough to stem the upsurge, he reiterated, “We need to get down and get the intelligence in order for this to work and prevent things from happening.”
In south Trinidad, investigators were also still trying to ascertain why Randy Amoroso, 38, of Point Fortin, and Clifford Riley, 32, a labourer, of La Lune Village, Moruga, were killed.
Police said Amoroso, also known as Crumpy and Movado, came out of prison a few months ago after serving a term for larceny. Police believe he was beaten to death.
A security officer on duty at the Point Ligoure Tank Farm in Point Fortin told police that around 8.15 pm, she was in the guard booth at the entrance to the compound when she heard people arguing on the road. She then heard a smashing sound. She contacted her senior and Amoroso’s body was later found on the road.
In the other incident, a security officer contacted the police around 8.50 pm after he saw the body of a man lying on the road at Milton Village, Caroni Housing Settlement Development, Couva.
Officers said the victim, identified as Clifford Riley, was shot multiple times. Police found 16 spent casings, 11 projectiles and $111 at the scene. Investigations are continuing. - With reporting by Anna-Lisa Paul