‘Yankee’ gunned down

THE MURDER rate climbed to 114 yesterday, following the shooting death of ex-prisoner and PH driver, Trevor Bermudez, 33, aka Yankee, of Halls Lane, Pelican Extension, Morvant.  It is now 58 shy of last year’s figure which stood at 172.  Murder number 113 occurred Tuesday morning when Laventille resident Nwadike David, 31, succumbed to gunshot injuries at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. David was shot on the night of May 22 while in a telephone booth at the corner of Duke and Piccadilly Streets, Port-of-Spain.  Cpl Jackson of the Besson Street Criminal Investigations Department is investigating. In the Bermudez killing, which police believe was the continuation of a gang war, investigators said around 12.20 am residents of of Halls Lane heard several loud explosions in the vicinity of Bermudez’s home. No attention was paid to the explosions, and police said around 5.30 am, resident Hayden Thomas found the body while he was about to leave for work.  Bermudez’s body was discovered a short distance from Thomas’ home. A report was made and a party of officers headed by Supt Waldron Bishop, and including ASP Gregory Correira, Insps Dave Hillaire and Koon Koon, Cpl Anand Ramjit of the North Eastern Division visited the scene and conducted investigations.

Police said they found five cartridges for a 12-gauge shotgun and one spent 9mm shell.  District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr Althea Holder also viewed the body which was later ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy, which revealed he died from multiple gunshot wounds. Law officers said it appears that Bermudez had just returned from working his family’s car when he was confronted by armed men.  It appears he ran from his attackers and was eventually killed in Halls’ yard. The deceased’s slippers were also found some distance from his body. At the scene yesterday, Thomas said: “I heard several boom, boom, boom boom, boom’s.  X amount (of gunshots) for real.”  He added that he did not make a move, while Halls said he hid under his bed during the volley of shots. Halls added that about 1.30 am he decided to watch television, but said he did not have a clue there was a dead man in his yard. “I didn’t know I was sleeping with a dead in my yard,” Halls told Newsday. No arrests had been made up to late evening and Cpl Ramjit of the Morvant CID is continuing the investigations into Bermudez’s killing.