URP foreman shot to death at home

KAREEM STEDMAN, a URP foreman believed to be one of the suspects in the shooting death of Mark Granger on Friday night, was shot nine times by a lone gunman oustide his home at Village Council Trace, St Barb’s, Laventille, on Saturday night.

Yesterday — Father’s Day — his grieving dad Steve Stedman, 44, wept openly and made a call to the authorities to find any means necessary to put an end to the senseless killings in Laventille. The URP foreman was walking close to his home around 9 pm on Saturday in company with his girlfriend Melissa Phillip, 16,  when a gunman emerged from Stedman’s yard and fired nine shots at him which struck him at various parts of his body. Stedman was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he died around 9.30 pm. His father told Newsday he never expected to spend Father’s Day in grief. He explained that each year on Father’s Day, his son Kareem would spend the day playing music and all his children would gather at his home and have an enjoyable day. Stedman claimed that the planned celebrations turned sour when his son was brutally gunned down.

The grieving man claimed that his son was returning home with his girlfriend when the killer, who was hiding in the yard, waited in ambush. He claimed that Melissa, who had already entered the yard, proceeded inside the house, but when Kareem pushed the gate, he was met by a barrage of gunfire and ran back into the roadway where he collapsed. The bleeding man was then rushed to hospital. Steve, who appeared deep in grief, insisted that his son earned an honest living and was not involved in any gang-related or illicit activities. He also disputed reports that his son was one of two gunmen who carried out a shooting attack on Friday night which resulted in one man dead and five others injured. Stedman called on the police to find the killers and put an end to the killings. He said that, based on information received, his son was killed because he is a Muslim. He added that a directive was recently given to kill all black muslims in St Barb’s. Police investigators said yesterday that based on information received, Stedman was one of the suspects in the shooting death of Mark Granger.

Investigators claimed that two of the four persons who were shot in the attack on Friday will accompany the police to the Forensic Science Centre today to view Stedman’s body. Police investigators told Newsday that a warrant has been issued for the second suspect in Mark Granger’s shooting death. When Newsday spoke with residents of St Barb’s yesterday, they claimed that instructions have already been issued by the head of a gang to execute the second suspect in the killing of Mark Granger. Residents claimed that they are afraid to venture out of their homes at night through fear of being struck by stray bullets. They added that the situation has reached a point where almost very night a murder takes place in Laventille. Checks with the Port-of-Spain General Hospital yesterday revealed that Crystal Best, 20, who was shot and wounded in the shooting on Friday night is warded in stable condition, while her two-year-old son Rondell Harbin was also in stable condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Mathew Granger, the twin brother of Mark Granger, who was also shot, discharged himself from hospital. As of Saturday, there were 15 murders for the month averaging one murder per day. The murdered victims for the month were Jerryl Wiltshire, Him Demanie Stoute, Jillia Bowen, PC Derrick Nelson, Daniel Paul, Clarence Brizan, Issac Joseph, Dane Mitchell, Anslem Registe, Joseph Matthew, Don George, Mark Granger, Nigel King and Kareem Stedman.