5 murders on long Carnival weekend

These four have been identified by police as Kurt Boyce, Nicholas Joseph, Devon Francis and Aston Antoine.

In the case of Francis, the 30-year-old URP worker who originally hailed from Toco but lived in Sea Lots, was gunned down at Mango Alley in Laventille at about 1.50 pm on Carnival Tuesday. At the Forensic Science Centre in St James yesterday Francis’ relatives said he had just come from visiting a female friend when he was gunned down.

“He was normal. He was no badman and he was not in any gang or anything like that. But these days, you don’t have to do anything for them rude boys to kill you nah,” said a relative who did not want to give his name.

In a separate incident, 21-year-old Joseph, was walking near his home in Dundonald Hill, in St James on Tuesday night when he was approached by unknown assailants and shot several times. He died at the scene. His friend Kevin Bane was also shot in the same incident and remains warded in critical condition at Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

Relatives were too distraught to speak as they awaited the result of an autopsy done on Joseph’s body.

Boyce, a 24-year-old construction labourer was shot and killed early yesterday morning while at his home in Trou Macacque. Police said that at about 2.30 am, assailants broke down the door to Boyce’s home and shot him once in his chest. His girlfriend Cassandra Holder was in the bedroom with her daughter when she heard the gunshot.

“All of us were home sleeping,” said Holder. “I was in the bedroom and he was in another room sleeping. My daughter got up and I went to put her back to sleep and I dropped back to sleep on the bed. I was awakened by a gunshot and then I heard him scream out.

“I turned on the lights and saw him bleeding from a shot to his chest and I just started to scream,” Holder said. The grieving woman said she was at a loss for words to say why anyone would want to end Boyce’s life.

Meanwhile, Antoine was shot dead — according to police — for simply wining on the ex-girlfriend of a known Morvant gang member. Antoine, the woman and her sister attended J’ouvert celebrations in Port-of-Spain and he was dancing with both women.

Police said when Antoine began to wine on the gangster’s ex-girlfriend, the gangster who was standing nearby walked up and began arguing with him.

Later, Antoine of Las Lomas No 1, went to the home of the gangster’s ex-girlfriend at Leon Street in Morvant when at about 9.30 am, the gangster approached and shot Antoine before running off. Antoine later died. The ex-girlfriend’s sister suffered a gunshot wound to her hand and was later treated at hospital and discharged.