4 men arrested in Petit Valley shooting

WESTERN Division officers were up to late yesterday questioning four Petit Valley men in connection with Thursday’s shooting in which a uniformed police officer and another man were shot.

The officer, PC Wallace, attached to the Four Roads Police Station, was grazed on the head, while Kerry Joseph, 27, of Spring View Drive, Petit Valley, remained warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) in critical condition up to late evening. The officer, who was off-duty at the time of the shooting, was attended to and discharged on Thursday. The two were shot on Cassia Drive, following a shootout.

Police could not say what caused the shootout, but as the investigations, spearheaded by Sgt Anthony Lezama, continued yesterday, senior officers took a statement from Wallace in which he indicated that he was attacked by five men.  They could not say why the officer was attacked but were working on the theory that an attempt was made to rob PC Wallace of his firearm. Senior officers were also trying to determine what the officer, who was armed with a firearm, was doing at Cassia Drive alone as he was off-duty. Reports indicate that on Thursday Wallace had said he was going to a scrap yard.

Up to late evening no one could say who shot Joseph.  Police said shots were fired from the officer’s firearm as well as the other men. Forensic testing is to be done. Following the shooting, acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs summoned the national helicopter, along with tracker dogs to comb the Petit Valley hills in search of the men. Approximately 100 heavily armed police officers and 20 soldiers later searched the area. The four men, three from Spring View Avenue, the other from Morne Coco Road, were subsequently arrested. They face a number of firearm-related charges arising out of the investigations.