radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
A day after Kirby Swade was gunned down near his home, his closest friends, villagers and relatives are afraid to give any information to the police.
A source, who requested anonymity, said the father of two was walking to his neighbour’s house at Hernandez Trace, Siparia, at around 7.30 pm when a man walked up to him and fired seven shots. When the first shot rang out, Swade started to run. The gunman pursued him firing more shots and when Swade collapsed under a shed at the roadside, the killer disappeared in the darkness.
Police said Swade was a rigger who worked hard to provide for his family. Officers recovered several spent shells but are yet to detain the suspect or locate the murder weapon.
A relative, who did not want to be identified, said they are too afraid to talk.
“Obviously people know who killed him and why but people don’t want to come out and say anything or more lives will be lost,” the relative said.
Meanwhile, police are still searching for the suspect in the murder of 29-year-old Christopher Moore. Investigators said at around 4.30 pm, Moore was outside his home at 23 Perry Young Road, Moruga, when he got into an argument with the suspect who pulled out a gun and shot him in the head. He died while on the way to the San Fernando General Hospital.
The suspect is from Fairfield, Princes Town.
Meanwhile, officers of the Southwestern Divisional Task Force destroyed 500 marijuana and 300 seedlings during an exercise at Rancho Quemado in Erin. The officers, led by Senior Supt Basdeo, went to an area off Carapal Road where they found the marijuana trees which had an estimated value of $500,000.