A suspected car thief who was shot and killed during a confrontation with police, continued to slip down a path of criminality despite repeated interventions from his family.
Police said Joel Alex, 23, was one of two men who allegedly robbed a man of his silver Nissan Wingroad around 6.30 pm in Windy Hill, Arouca.
A report was made and officers of the North-Central Division traced the car to the Eastern Main Road, San Juan, where they intercepted it and called on the driver to come out.
As an officer approached the driver’s side door, however, they allegedly noticed Alex pointing a gun at them. The officers then shot Alex and his accomplice. Police took both men to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where Alex was declared dead.
The 18-year-old accomplice remained warded in critical condition yesterday.
Police seized the pistol, which contained seven rounds of ammunition.
Speaking with Guardian Media at their family’s Windy Hill, Arouca, home yesterday, one of Alex’s relatives, who asked not to be named, said he and other relatives tried to keep him out of trouble but admitted it was difficult.
The relative said Alex was arrested and imprisoned for a while and even missed the funeral of his mother. He said he felt missing his mother’s funeral may have pushed him to act out.
“We always talking to him, that’s our last brother, there are eight of us and he was the last one. Everybody used to try and talk to him. He was locked up when my mother died, it was really that too affected him,” the relative said.
“That last rounds there, he used to say he don’t really care about living and thing again. We used to talk to him and urge him not to say those things because the tongue had power. We used to talk to him firmly to try and get through to him.”
Recalling his last interaction with Alex, the relative said they did not speak much and he only asked to borrow his cellphone to make a call. After making the call, the relative said Alex left home and they did not know where he went until his sister received a call from police informing them of what happened.
He said Alex previously worked at a pet store at East Gates Mall, Trincity, but was unemployed in recent months.
The relative called on young men who may be facing hardships not to succumb to influences and avoid crime.
“It’s just to stay away from crime. Things might be hard but it’s not worth being dead for nothing.”
Between January 1 and October 3, 37 people were killed in police-involved shootings, compared to 41 people for the same people last year.
All police-involved shootings are investigated by a First Division Officer (FDO) with the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) or higher.
