Brother may miss brother’s funeral

This is because the brother, up to yesterday, remained in the custody of Eastern Division police officers. “Police are giving us any information,” said the siblings’ 70-year-old father Andrew.

“We (relatives) cannot say what charges police are going to give him. Later tonight we will know for sure when is Shaka’s funeral.” On Sunday afternoon, police arrested the 34-year-old brother at the family’s home. He was not charged up to late yesterday.

Smith went to rescue the now detained brother from gunmen in a forested area in Rio Claro on Thursday night but was instead shot and killed by police. He died en-route to the Rio Claro Health Facility.

Relatives said that while at his home at Piparo Road, Tabaquite, the younger brother telephoned Smith saying he was hiding in a forested area from gunmen who ambushed him.

Smith, a father of two, went in search of his brother and was shot and killed. Hours after the fatal shooting, the brother told Newsday that he was driving along Tabaquite Road near Brickfield Junction when an unmarked van drove in front of his station- wagon.

Another vehicle drove up behind causing him to stop. The occupants opened fire and he fled by running into the forested area.

He subsequently telephoned Smith asking to be rescued.

Sometime later, he spotted his brother’s car but heard several gunshots.

But while relatives accused police of killing “an innocent hardworking family man”, police claimed Smith shot at them and officers returned fire.