SASCHA WILSON
Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
La Romain residents say they are still in shock over a violent attack in Debe on Sunday night that claimed the life of 59-year-old Elizabeth “Mary” Lennard and left her common-law husband critically injured.
While his wife was dying in their vehicle, 63-year-old Premnath Enal—despite his injuries—drove to La Romain to seek assistance.
By the time he got there, however, his wife was already dead.
According to police reports, around 10.20 pm, officers on mobile patrol in La Romain were alerted to a report of an unresponsive person in a vehicle along Church Street, Rambert Village.
When they arrived, they found Lennard’s body in the front passenger seat.
A resident told police that around 10.15 pm, she was at home when her neighbour called out to her, and on checking, she saw Enal standing in her yard with blood on his clothes and injuries to his face. The husband reported he and his common-law-wife were shot near the Debe Roundabout and that she died in the car.
While the resident was speaking to him, Enal began panicking and ran off.
The police found him about 150 metres away on a nearby street, lying on the roadway and bleeding from gunshot injuries to his face, forearm, and upper thigh. He also had abrasions on his ear. Police recovered a spent 9mm shell and a 9mm projectile in the vehicle.
Enal was taken to the hospital, where he remained warded up to yesterday.
Investigators of the Homicide Bureau Region 3 were still trying to determine the motive for the deadly shooting.
When Guardian Media visited Church Street, La Romain, residents were still in shock. They said the woman’s relatives were originally from the area but had migrated. A resident, who requested anonymity, recalled that they were about to retire to bed when they heard the vehicle.
At first, he said, they thought someone was visiting their neighbour for Father’s Day, but when they saw people gathering around the car, they knew something was wrong.
“I saw the lady covered in blood, her head was back on the headrest. I could tell she was dead already. I didn’t see the driver,” he said.
The resident said it was the first time they had experienced something so traumatic in the area. “This incident has me feeling very hurt and upset,” he lamented.
Enal’s brother, who lives in Rousillac, said relatives had not spoken to him in years. He said Enal and Lennard had been in a relationship for about four years. They had no children together.