Record year’s total 375 so far

The first incident occurred at about 3 am when a 31-year-old man of Maloney was gunned down minutes after leaving a family lime in Maraval to drop home a partner during the wee hours of Boxing Day morning.

The second incident occurred at about 3.15 pm along the Laventille Old Road. The victim was identified as Gebra Benjamin, 21, of Block 22 103 Laventille Old Road. According to a police report, at about 3 am Kevin ‘Jonesy’ Jones was shot following an argument with a 43-year-old man of Maloney at Sam’s bar, Le Platte Village, Maraval. Jones, a father of three, was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. Police said that a motive was yet to be determined for the killing. Jones was employed at the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation. Speaking with Newsday yesterday at the family’s Bandar Street, Maraval home, one of Jones’ cousin, Charmaine Carim described the incident as shocking and depressing.

“All the family was at his mother’s house liming when he decided to go drop a partner off at his home in Le Platte. I think that on the way they decided to stop by the bar to take a drink and that was when the incident occurred,” Carim said.

“I really don’t know what happened but all I hear was that some argument took place and a man whipped out a gun and shot Kevin,” she added. Carim described Jones as a role model to the youths in the family: “He was a loving husband to his wife, Janelle and a great father to his children. He was also a sure role model, a positive example to this generation of black men in the family.”

Carim revealed that in 2004 Jones’ mother, Dhalia Jones died after she was stabbed at a house in Carenage.

“Strange enough for the past two to three weeks, Kevin was only talking about his mother, not knowing that maybe it was a sign that he was going to meet her,” Carim said.

Up to yesterday the 43-year-old suspect was said to be assisting police in their investigations.

In the second incident, according to the police, Benjamin went to visit his sister at Leau Place at about 1 pm. Upon his departure, at about 3.15 pm residents heard several loud gunshots. Upon checks they discovered Benjamin lying in a pool of blood. A motive is yet to be determined.

Investigations are continuing.