Son dies, but not mom

Three hours after he heard his mother had died, 22-year-old Sheldon Davidson Stuart was gunned down Wednesday night a short distance away from his William Street, Arouca home by unknown gunmen who also shot his friend’s father during their getaway from the crime scene.

Speaking from the Forensic Science Centre yesterday, Stuart’s father, David, said his son came home around 5.30 pm Wednesday and was in amazement at seeing his mother, Roselyn Collymore, alive at their home. “Somebody told me you had died,” David said his son told his mother.  It turned out, however, that his mother carried the same name as a woman in the area who had passed away earlier Wednesday. Close to three hours later Stuart left to go and see his 23-year-old friend, Arnold Gopee, who lives a short distance away from him.  On his way, police said the part-time construction worker was accosted by two men. Police said the men fired several shots at Stuart who subsequently collapsed and died.  He was shot three times, in the chest, neck and arm.

The men then fled the scene on foot but on their way out of the area fired shots indiscriminately at people on the road, striking Gopee’s father, Nandlal, 42, in the leg. Police said Gopee and his son were in their yard. Arnold was lucky not to have been shot but his fisherman father was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was attended to and discharged. A report was made and a party of Northern Division officers headed by acting Supt Fitzroy Fredericks, and including Insps Bullen and Thomas, along with Sgt Don Lezama visited the scene and conducted investigations. District Medical Officer  Dr Paul Bissessar was also called in to view the body which he later pronounced dead and ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy which confirmed Stuart died from haemorrhage consistent with gunshot wounds.

David Stuart, 47, said after his son had questioned his mother on her so-called death, he (Stuart) took a bath and went to see Arnold. 
Recovering from a stroke and high blood pressure, David said his son came back sometime after, ate and was about to make a second trip to Arnold’s home when he met his death. “I heard three shots and a neighbour came and told me that my son got shot,” said David while seated on a bench outside the Science Centre.  On investigating, the father of two sons, said he checked his eldest son and realised he had died. David, a member of the Arouca Revival Tabernacle, said he had no idea why anyone would want to kill his son. He also said his son had not received threats to his life, and that if his son was a troublemaker he would not have been afraid to say so. Police sources also said Stuart was not known to them in any “questionable way.” No arrests had been made up to late evening and Sgt Don Lezama of the CID is continuing investigations.