Second victim of Arima shooting spree dies

THE February 26 shooting spree at an Arima home, which resulted in the death of United States airline employee Camelia Nyack, has claimed another victim. Richard Achong, 44, who was shot several times when three armed gunmen stormed his Sorzano Street home, died at the Intensive Care Unit of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital on Sunday afternoon. He succumbed to his injuries at about 4.40 pm without regaining consciousness.

Police officers told Newsday yesterday they are yet to establish a motive for the killings, but said they have been told Achong’s death may have been drug-related. They believe, however, that Nyack was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At around 9.30 pm on February 26, Nyack, a customer services representative with Jet Blue Inter State Airlines in Boston, USA, went to Achong’s home with another friend, Brian Julien, 31, of Clovis Street in Arima. She met the owner of the house, Derrick Achong, and his brother Richard. Three men climbed over the fence, entered the living room of the house and started shooting wildly. Camelia was shot in the chest and died instantly. Her friend Julien and the two Achong brothers were also shot.