Cops search for two killers

A quiet evening with relatives in the front yard of her home turned tragic for a Westmoorings woman who was shot and killed Saturday shortly after being robbed of her jewelry by a gunman, in the full view of her brother and sisters.

Annette Farah, 57, offered no retaliation and surrendered her jewelry, but was still gunned down in cold blood. Yesterday, residents of Stuart Road, Westmoorings, were in a state of shock and mourning over the senseless killing. Her murder is the 210th for the year so far. Last year 172 persons were killed. Reports revealed that around 11 pm on Saturday, Farah, her sister Kathleen and other members of her family were sitting on benches in the front yard of her home, when a gunman scaled the short fence, entered the yard and placed a gun to the neck of Annette. She was robbed of jewelry while another man armed with a cutlass stood watch over other members of her family.

A pet poodle belonging to Farah barked furiously at the gunman, but without warning he fired one shot at Annette striking her on the right side of her neck. She slumped to the ground and the two men fled the scene. They ran north along Stuart Road and flagged down a passing car. Police officers who were summoned to the scene found a cutlass believed to have been used by the killer’s accomplice. The cutlass will be tested for prints. When Newsday visited the home of the victim, scores of friends and relatives of Farah gathered at her home to offer support to grieving members of her family. A male relative who preferred not to be photographed or identified told Newsday that the Farah family always gathered at the home of Annette every Saturday night. He said that the children were inside the house playing games while the older folks gathered outside to enjoy the coolness of the evening when tragedy struck.

The angry relative said that he was helpless and unable to defend  Annette because the bandit with the cutlass was hovering around him. As tears swelled his eyes, he said that he never knew that Annette had been killed by the single bullet and thought that she had fainted but when she was rushed to hospital, she was pronounced dead. The single bullet damaged a main artery. Farah also lost a lot of blood. The male relative said that he has lost all faith in the Government and the Police Service and feels that the country has reached a crisis state. The grieving man pointed out that Annette lived a peaceful life, never bothered anyone and did not deserve to die in such violent circumstances.

Newsday learned that Farah retired from Scotiabank three years ago. She was an active social worker and distributed food and clothing to the needy. According to her sister Kathleen, Annette loved Christmas, and enjoyed sitting in her front yard to admire her flower garden. She was also described as a warm person who believed in family life. Officers of the Western Division led by Snr Supt Quashie and Sgt Ramsubhag and others visited the scene of the shooting death along with other police officers. An autopsy will be carried out today to determine the cause of death. Investigators told Newsday that they are working along certain lines to try and solve the murder.