Murder in panyard

The group had just completed practising for an Independence concert in Arima when the gunman unleashed a hail of gunfire at them. One of the bullets struck Aneisha Simon, a student of the Brazil High School, in the left eye killing her instantly. Five other teenagers and a six-year old-girl suffered gunshot injuries.

The manager of the pan group, Wendell Bowen, 42 and his common-law wife, Peggy Fortune, are in critical condition at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

The shootings have the Pinto Road community in shock, with residents expressing concern and fear that such an attack could be directed at innocent children, resulting in the death of a promising young student.

Eyewitnesses told Newsday the incident played out like a scene from a movie. Three men, who had earlier robbed a group of men, were seen running toward the Simple Sound Pan Theatre at around 9 pm.

At about the same time, Bowen and his 34-year-old wife were briefing the young pannists on their planned performance at the concert.

A man alighted from a black Sentra car and started shooting wildly in the direction of the group of young pannists with a high-powered assault weapon.

The first to be hit was Aneisha. She was shot in the left eye and slumped to the ground in a pool of blood. Bullets also struck Bowen and his wife, who suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and head.

Also injured were Nicholas Caldon, 15; Brandon O’Connor, 15; Shurland John, 14; Keon Mark, 14; Natasha Mark, 13; and Shanice York, 6; who are all warded in serious but stable condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.

All the injured were assisted by residents who flocked to the scene following the shootings. People used their own vehicles to rush the injured to hospital.

Yesterday, police investigators described the incident as the actions of a mad man and called on members of the public who may have information on the suspect to assist them.

Leslie Simon, the father of the murder victim, was in tears when Newsday spoke with him yesterday. He said all he wanted was to get back his daughter.

Surrounded by friends and relatives, the grieving man said his daughter, whom he fondly called "Neisa" and "Blacks", did not deserve to die at such a young age. He said when he last saw his daughter on Tuesday, she was full of life and looking forward to Independence Day.

According to Simon, he was at his home in Boodoo Avenue, off Pinto Road, when he received a call informing him that his daughter was shot and at hospital.

As tears streamed down his face, Simon, who is known as "Rattie" by friends and neighbours, said he rushed to the hospital just in time to see his daughter’s body in a bag. He said he cannot believe his daughter is dead and wants swift justice for her murder.

He said that Aneisha was a polite child with a bright future who loved pan. Marlene Hazel, Aneisha’s grief-stricken mother, described her daughter as a "pan lover" and appealed to the police to find the person responsible for the teen’s murder and bring him to justice.

Kendell Bowen, 14, whose father, Wendell, and mother, Peggy, are fighting for their lives at hospital, narrowly escaped serious injury when a bullet grazed his chest.

Recounting the frightening incident, the schoolboy said that he was standing outside the pan tent talking to other pannists when the gunman started firing at them.

Bowen said he saw when Aneisha was shot in the left eye. He told Newsday he is now praying for the recovery of his parents and is scared to venture out of his home following the shooting.

At the scene of the shootings, Augustus Peterson, founder of the Simple Sound Pan Tent, expressed outrage over the incident.

As he expressed his disappointment over the spate of crime in the country, Government’s Skyship Blimp hovered over Pinto Road carrying out surveillance.

Officers of the Arima CID are continuing investigations.