Double revenge murders in Laventille

TWO Laventille men were killed yesterday within hours of each other in what police believe are gang-related revenge assassinations. The first murder took place around 1 am when Jamaat al Muslimeen member Keino Boyce, 23, was shot dead while attending a birthday party for his friend David Shade, who co-hosted the party with another birthday boy, Eddison Hasscual at 15 Picton road, Laventille. The second murder, which police believe is related to the first,  took place around 12.30 pm when another Jamaat Al Muslimeen member Jamal McClean was shot dead by two men outside his girlfriend’s place at Canada Plannings, Laventille — a few hundred yards from where Boyce lived. McClean is believed to be part of a gang that was responsible for the murder of Boyce.
 
When Newsday visited the scene of the first murder, partygoers, some still dressed in their party wear, explained the party was swinging and people were just arriving when loud shots were heard and there was mass scampering. When the dust cleared Mc Clean lay bleeding on the ground. He was rushed to the Port-of -Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. “We don’t know this fella,” a relative of Hasscual, who had been holding similar parties at the same venue for the last 15 years, told Newsday. “There was a loud noise like firecrackers, people were running about and next we were told a man was lying bleeding on the ground.” Investigations by Newsday revealed that gang member Boyce who is well known by the police was confronted by the friend of a man with whom he had a confrontation ealier this year. The man left and returned with another man from Despers Crescent who walked up to Boyce firing three shots, one hitting him in the head, before running off in a waiting car. When Newsday visited the Beverly Hills Plannings, Laventille home of Boyce, his mother, a still shocked Judith Boyce could not come to terms with the death. “He was my right hand, he lived for his family and two children, now that he is gone I want justice. Who will take care of me and his children?” asked Judith.

Explaining further, the teary-eyed mother told Newsday, “I received three calls on his cellphone last night asking for him but the caller refused to say who it was. On the third call a friend came to say he was killed. All I know is that earlier this year he had a confrontation with a man up by Despers side. The man sent several threats and even pulled a gun for his sister Kareem at Carnival and his child’s mother Dixieann Lewis telling them he will kill him. Keino never took him on.” The argument, Judith concluded, was because her son had picked up a girl in the Despers area and the men in the area did not like that. A distraught Ayana Green, cousin of the dead man, claimed that the killer and his brother are always in the Plannings and no one tried to kill them, so she could not understand why they killed Keino. Keino, a father of two —Jibarry and Jennele Boyce — is employed as a skilled labourer at National Flour Mills. An innocent Jibarry who played nearby with a smile muttered, “My daddy is dead,” when asked about his whereabouts. In the second killing McClean, 19, of McShine lands, Laventille was visiting his child, Jamella, 1, and her mother, Giselle Joseph, 19, at  8 Plassaince Road, Laventille  when the deceased received a phone call and told his girlfriend he would be back soon. On leaving the house he was confronted by three men, and a loud argument ensued about the earlier killing of Boyce.

The men then opened fire before running off in some nearby bushes. McClean, a father of two, died on arrival at the Port-of-Spain General hospital. When Newsday visited the Second Street, Laventille home of his sister Vanessa McClean and broke the news to her, the woman who is nine months pregnant fell to the ground screaming,” “Oh God, not another one.” “They kill another one of my brothers, when will it stop?” Vanessa, who had to be assisted by friend to stand up, denied knowledge of why anyone would kill her brother nor did she believe he was responsible for Boyce’s killing. “My brother was a good man who did not trouble anyone. All I know he and Boyce were enemies but if he just killed a man he would not go back to that area or a few houses away.” Jamal, a URP labourer, is the third of her brothers to be killed within the last three years. In August  Kevin McClean was gunned down by persons unknown, while walking in the Nelson Street area. In 2000 another brother, Shemba “Stumpy” McClean was shot dead while sitting at Despers Crescent. Several residents confirmed they are more fearful for their lives following the muders. “Almost daily there is a shooting in this area but the murders had died down.

“What we see here is a fresh escalation of the Muslims versus Muslims war and the gang wars, and with pending fresh deaths coming, we want to move out of here.” Police described the killings as gang related and believe that they are both based on revenge and that there are more to come. Police also confirmed that an all-points-bulletin has been put out for the arrest of a 23-year-old Laventiile man who was seen running by the police with two guns during their investigations but managed to escape. Visiting the scenes were Ag Insp Sahadeo Singh and members of the Besson Street CID. CS Ferret and Rowley are spearheading inquires.