Residents of Maloney Gardens are said to be shaken up and in shock after one of their own, who was described as a “stalwart” and “exemplary role model” identified as Jeremiah “Teach” Franklin was gunned down minutes after he tended to his kitchen garden just outside his apartment building on Tuesday night.
They are now making a desperate call for Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and his “Operation Strike Back” team to come into the area and help “get rid of all the gang members.”
According to a police report, at about 11.25 pm, Franklin, who had just completed tending to his kitchen garden, had gone to a nearby parlour to make a purchase and was walking back to his building when he was confronted by two armed men, who shot him several times. Franklin died at the scene. Police recovered over 20 spent shells on the scene of the crime.
A team of officers from the Homicide Bureau and the Northern Division, including Insp Andrew Lawrence, Insp Gyan, Sgt Katwaroo, Cpl Ali and PC Lawrence, among several others, visited the scene.
Franklin’s murder was recorded as the third in 48 hours in the area. It is believed that he may have been killed because he may have seen or known the identities of the killers responsible for Monday night’s double murder in which Ramon Cyrillo, 34, and Azizi Jelani McKenna, 36, were shot several times near Building 2. Both men succumbed to their injuries while at the hospital.
An investigating officer told the T& T Guardian that they are yet to determine a motive for the killing but strongly believe that Franklin was “innocently” killed because he knew the identities of Monday night’s killers.
The officer, however, assured the concerned residents that “all will be done to bring to justice the gunmen responsible.” “We will also be mobilising the police to carry out frequent patrols and execute exercises,” he added.
Franklin was said to be a school teacher and volunteered to give lessons to the young people in the area.
One resident described him as a “God-sent” individual, “Nobody here has nothing bad to say about him because he had a heart of gold to make sure that the young people around had an education. He helped those going to school and he also helped those that dropped out of school.”
“He was always the type to even talk to the young people to try to influence them away from this gang life and gun and weed mentality,” the resident added.
One of Franklin’s relatives, who wished not to be identified, said the killing was “senseless,” “how they could kill an innocent man just so? In cold-blood? Them doh have a heart…all them fellas who in this gang thing need to be stopped in their tracks right this minute.”
Another resident, who said her son was killed last year in a similar manner to Franklin, called on Griffith to intervene, “We have hope and trust in this new commissioner and we believe that he can clean up this area. This killing has gone too far and its time that we get back our peaceful community. We want Gary and his team to come in here and do what they have to do.
Investigations are continuing.
