Ezekiel Paria had dreams of becoming a pilot but a stray bullet eliminated that bright light on Thursday afternoon, as he rode his bicycle in the neighbourhood.
The top-performing student, who had been looking forward to sitting the 2024 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam on March 21, had been working diligently to achieve his goals.
Paria, 12, was a Standard Five pupil of Eastern Boys’ Government Primary School at George Street, Port-of-Spain. He was yesterday described by a fellow student as, “a real nice person who was always helping others”.
Police had initially given Paria’s age as 11 but his mother said he was 12 and also that he carried his father’s family name.
Paria, who lived at Laventille Road, near Mapp Trace, had been hoping to pass for Fatima College.
He was killed at 4.50 pm on Thursday, after gunmen opened fire on a resident who had been in a car travelling along Laventille Road.
While the intended target escaped with minor injuries, Paria, who had been standing at the side of the road when the shooting began, was shot in the head.
An autopsy conducted at the Forensic Science Centre (FSC), St James, yesterday, confirmed he died as a result of cranio-cerebral injuries due to a gunshot injury to the head.
Speaking after getting the autopsy result, Paria’s grieving mother, Melissa Huggins, told reporters he had been working diligently to get to his first choice school.
“He was on track to reach there,” she said, adding St Anthony’s College was his second choice.
Struggling to piece together sentences when asked to describe her son, Huggins whispered, “Eze was a loving, kind child.”
She added, “He loved football and riding bike. He was very outdoorsy.”
Asked about his career choices, she smiled briefly as she recalled, “He always wanted to be a pilot. He was an A-class student...never had a problem in school.”
Saying she was at work at the time of the shooting, Huggins said she received a call from one of her daughters informing her that Paria had been shot and had subsequently died at hospital.
Coming from a blended family with several siblings, Huggins, who is a single mother, said Paria never lacked for anything.
She said, “Anything he wanted, he would get.”
However, she admitted she had warned and begged her children to stay off the roads in the neighbourhood.
“The area was hot these days. The authorities aren’t doing anything about it,” she lamented.
Huggins acknowledged the situation between warring gangs in the Belmont area would be reignited as a result of the situation, which had now turned into “a hit for hit.”
She said Paria’s brothers and sisters remained in shock over the killing and were struggling to cope with the sudden loss.
Huggins told reporters that offers for counselling had been extended to the family by officials from both the Eastern Boys’ Government Primary School, as well as the Eastern Girls’ Government Primary School, which Paria’s sister attends.
TTPS: Two suspects
still in custody
Less than 10 minutes after the fatal shooting at Laventille Road, lawmen intercepted one of the getaway cars with two suspects inside and allegedly recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the incident.
The suspects remained in custody at the Besson Street Police Station up to last night as investigations continued.
In a release yesterday, Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher extended condolences to Paria’s family.
She said, “This senseless crime cuts deep as a young life was lost, and the opportunity to grow, develop and maximise his potential was taken away.”
She moved to reassure the family that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) was committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice.
She praised the quick response by officers of the Port-of-Spain Task Force and the Port-of-Spain Gang Intelligence Unit, who responded swiftly to reports of the shooting on Thursday and were able to apprehend the two suspects.
Following a search of the suspects’ car, officers allegedly found a quantity of marijuana, a pistol and ammunition.
Harewood-Christopher said, “We remain undaunted and relentless in our commitment to tackling gun violence and protecting the lives of all citizens, particularly our most vulnerable.
“I also commend the swift action and vigilance of the officers involved in the interception and eventual apprehension of the suspects, and once again, I urge anyone with information about this tragic incident to come forward and assist the investigation, so justice can be served in this matter.”
Officers from the Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS), as well as staff from the Victim and Witness Support Unit (VWSU) visited the Eastern Boys’ Government Primary School yesterday to offer condolences on behalf of the CoP and her executive.
Justin Rodriguez, of the VWSU, also conducted a brief session to help the pupils understand their emotions and feelings about the loss of their schoolmate. He also conducted other sessions with staff and pupils aimed at giving them a sense of hope to cope during their time of loss.
NPTA: Nation must
come together
Adding their voices to those calling for justice over Paria’s death, the National Council of Parent Teacher Associations Inc (NPTA) said the killing was a “heart-wrenching reminder of the escalating violence in our communities”.
President Walter Stewart said the devastating event, coupled with the recent indiscriminate shooting in front of a primary school in Port-of-Spain on Tuesday, had exposed children to unimaginable trauma.
In a release, the NPTA underscored what they claimed was a deeply concerning trend.
Stewart said, “These incidents are not isolated but indicative of a broader societal crisis that demands immediate and decisive action.
“The frequency of such violence is alarming but particularly in Port-of-Spain and its environs. It is concerning and cannot continue unabated.”
The NPTA said it will be scheduling a meeting with the executive team of the Port-of-Spain and Environs Education District soon, in order to support and amplify their efforts to combat the wave of violence.
“We firmly believe that it is only through united action that we can address the root causes of this epidemic,” Stewart said.
Calling on the CoP and National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds to dialogue with the NPTA, Stewart advised, “It is essential that the perspectives of parents and guardians are heard in this conversation. Our children’s safety must be the cornerstone of our community’s foundation, and we are committed to advocating for measures that will protect our future generations.”
The NPTA argued that these violent acts against children should not be viewed as separate incidents but part of a larger, more complex problem that requires collective attention and action.
Stewart urged, “We must come together as a nation to address these issues head-on, with the welfare of our children as our guiding principle.”
He added, “Among the measures we advocate for is the imposition of stricter penalties for the possession of illegal firearms. It is clear that the current deterrents are insufficient. We need laws that reflect the severity of these crimes and their impact on our society, especially our most vulnerable members. The time for action is now. We cannot allow the lives of our children to be threatened by senseless violence.”