Seniro Reporter
anna-lisa.paul@guardian.co.tt
A nine-year-old boy was shot in the left heel as he slept, whilst his 33-year-old father was shot in the left toe, after gunmen stormed an apartment in Maloney and opened fire on them yesterday.
Residents of Building 16 were rocked out of their sleep when gunfire erupted in the two-bedroom apartment on the third floor.
Reports indicate four masked and heavily armed suspects walked up the three flights of stairs and went directly to the father’s wooden front door, where they knocked loudly and waited.
Guardian Media was told the father answered, initially believing the men to be police officers. However, after sliding back the dead bolt on the inside of the door and peering out, he realised it was not law enforcement and attempted to shove the door in.
However, two of the gunmen kicked in the door and rush in behind the father, who turned and ran into his son’s bedroom, where he dived on top of him, shielding him as the suspects began shooting.
The other two suspects reportedly stood guard on the landing, following which the four left in a waiting car.
Although the incident lasted no more than ten minutes, some residents yesterday said it felt long, while some admitted sleeping through it as gunshots in the area were a norm.
The injured persons were rushed to hospital where they were treated and warded in a stable condition up to yesterday.
When Guardian Media visited the scene, forensic officers were seen collecting evidence, which included eight 9mm spent shell casings from the bedroom and living room, as well as a piece of the damaged front door, which was thrown onto the grassy playground three floors down after it was kicked in.
While many of the residents appeared to be going about their daily routine as normal, a handful of persons looked on cautiously.
Several mothers were seen walking their children out to the carpark to meet drivers to be taken to school.
One woman, who was unwilling to provide her name, described the incident as sad and unsettling.
Another said, “My children don’t be outside. They are inside for that same reason. You never know what could happen.”
Standing behind burglar-proof that went right up to the ceiling, the mother of three admitted the latest gunplay was forcing her to rethink living there.
She said it was sad that a child had been injured in the latest bout of gun violence, which she agreed was a normal thing in the area. The frustrated and frightened woman said although she has been visiting the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to enquire about relocation options, she is still waiting.
A mother of six said she too is worried about her children’s safety, but urged the younger generation to pay attention to their lifestyle and the resultant consequences. The woman said it was painful to have witnessed the negative changes over the years.
Another woman whose son attends the same school as the injured boy and knows him personally, fought back tears as she said, “He should never have gotten shot.”
She said while she too wants to leave, she had no choice but to wait until better could be done.
A 21-year-old man who agreed to speak in the covered stairwell called on persons to respect the “order” which he said, seemed to have been forgotten.
He reinforced, “You not supposed to be shooting children.”
Claiming he had slept through the incident, he argued, “Them children ain’t picking up no gun and shooting nobody. They does just play and go to school, so I find they should be left out of all of this gun violence.”
Pressed about recent shootings in the area, he said it was “outsiders” coming in and creating trouble.
He warned these persons to stay out and stay away from crime, adding, “Things will happen to you!”