Murder rate continues to climb

THE murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago is spiralling out of control. Sixty-five murders have been recorded in 73 days. Seven in 48 hours, and two in one hour. The 65th victim is Tobagonian Tracy McKenna, 23, alias “Queen,” who was shot dead on Sunday night, a short distance from his home at Williams Trace, Morvant. Only one hour before, Jason Nicholas, 23, was found dead with a single chop wound to his head at Fatima Trace, Brooklyn Village, Laventille Road.

According to reports, McKenna left his home around 10 pm and was walking through a track in Second Caledonia leading to the Lady Young Road, when five shots rang out. McKenna, who received three shots to the chest and hands, ran to a nearby shop where he called on the proprietor to call the police before he collapsed. The bleeding man was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. When Newsday visited his home, shocked residents expressed dismay at the fatal shooting, saying McKenna was not known to be involved in any questionable activities. They believe it was a case of mistaken identity.

“He has been living here only about two years and was never involved in anything wrong. He was one of the good guys, who did not think it hard to help anyone,” Baptist mother Katherine Dalzine, his landlady, told Newsday. “If someone smoked any weed close by while he was there, he would tell them to leave. He did not have a violent or criminal nature. He was so against violence that three weeks ago he walked off his construction work because he believed they were robbing him, and started a car-washing business. He was loved by everyone.” Several other residents supported this view. Investigations revealed that on Saturday he was accosted by a man who said McKenna looked like someone else. Queen said he was not that man and left. Friends believe it is the same man who followed McKenna and killed him.

Police sources confirmed that McKenna had no criminal record and believed his killer was waiting for him. They also believe it was a case of mistaken identity. Both friends and police are awaiting his family’s arrival from Tobago to proceed with the autopsy and arrange his funeral. Police have labelled the Nicholas murder as gang-related. Around 9 pm a resident of Fatima Trace reported that a man was lying on the ground. When police arrived they found the body of Nicholas in a pool of blood with a chop wound to his head. When Newsday visited the area, residents claimed they did not know where he was from, but had often seen him in the area associating with gang members.

Police sources told Newsday they believed he was from somewhere in the Nelson Street, PoS area, but could not proceed until a family member came forward and identified the body. Police also said they have no records on Nicholas, except that he associated with gang members in the area. TT recorded 51 murders during the same period last year. Meanwhile, southern police are investigating the circumstances relating to skeletal remains which were found buried in a canefield. If this is declared a murder, the number will jump to 66 in 73 days.