Jensen La Vende
Senior Report
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Gunmen discussed sparing the life of a woman and her five children as they gunned down her husband in the Heights of Guanapo early yesterday morning.
The murder of Joel Sanchez was one of three which occurred between Sunday night and yesterday.
In the most recent incident, homicide officers responded to gunshots at Old St Joseph Road, Laventille around 1 pm.
Police said residents contacted them when they observed a man lying dead on the roadway at Dorata Street.
The man had been shot multiple times.
Police said the man did not have identification on him and residents claimed he was not from the area.
The man was of African descent and was wearing a white t-shirt, black pants and black sneakers.
Hours before, around 12.05 am officers responded to reports of a shooting at La Retreat Road, River Valley at the Heights of Guanapo.
Investigators said five heavily armed, masked men in dark-coloured clothing broke into the house of the 32-year-old man. Police said the gunmen cornered Sanchez in a bedroom as he attempted to hide and opened fire on him. He was found crouched down in the room dead when officers arrived.
However, police said the gunmen spoke openly about the wife and five children being present in the house and told each other not to harm them.
Police said some 19 nine millimetre shell casings were recovered at the scene of the crime. No motive was given for Sanchez’s killing.
In the third murder, Shirwyn Brown was killed on Sunday night while he and two other men were playing cards along Marie Road, Morvant.
Police said around 7.55 pm, the 54-year-old was seated near a mango tree when a white car drove up and two gunmen in hoodies ran out and opened fire, killing Brown and injuring two other men.
Police recovered 45 spent shells which included 19, 5.56mm and 26, 7.75mm spent shells.
A 22-year-old man, who was injured in the attack, was shot in the left thigh while a 38-year-old man was shot in the right calf and right hip. Both were taken to the hospital by neighbours and remain hospitalised in stable condition.
Police are searching for a motive in connection with Brown’s murder.