Panyard murder suspect shot dead

An Arima father of two accused of being one of the persons responsible for the shooting death of a girl outside the Simple Song Panyard on the night of August 30 last month was shot five times at 11.45 am on Wednesday. Luthar King, 28, a sanitation worker at the Arima Borough Corporation, was shot in full view of his daughter Victoria, 11, and his mother, Marilyn. He was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An autopsy yesterday revealed that King died from shock and haemorrhage consistent with gunshot injuries. Reports revealed that King and his mother picked up Victoria  at her school, Centenary Primary, at Columbus Street, Arima, on Wednesday. The child, who has asthma, was finding it difficult to breathe, hence her father was called to pick her up. While King was driving east along Columbus Street, a car pulled to the back of his car, ramming him from behind.

An occupant of the car then got out and shot King five times at point blank range. Victoria, who was in the back seat, jumped out of the car and began running around in a hysterical manner. King’s mother Marilyn told Newsday that she jumped out of the car and began begging people for assistance. When she realised that no one was coming forward to assist, she knelt down in the middle of the road, and this attracted a woman who took her bleeding son to the Arima Hospital. King was transferred to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

When Newsday visited the scene of the killing yesterday, eyewitnesses said King was killed after he was pointed out as one of the men who opened fire outside the Simple Song Panyard at Pinto Road, Arima. That incident left 14-year-old Anisha Simon dead and six children and two adults wounded. King’s killing is believed to be an act of revenge for Simon’s death. Pinto Road residents said they expect more killings in the next few days. However, Marilyn King, the dead man’s mother, insisted that her son was not linked to the shootings, and added that he was a good person. She said her son could not hurt a fly and loved children, especially his two daughters Victoria and Mikeda, 5. Officers of the Arima Police Station are investigating.