Fish vendor murdered in Laventille home

GEORGE Street fish vendor John Mohammed was robbed and murdered at his Thomosine Road home in Laventille, minutes after he got there Thursday night. From a primary evaluation of the crime scene, police believe Mohammed, 55, had only opened the front door to his house when he was ambushed by the killers, who dragged him from room to room searching for valuables. They then took him to his step-daughter’s room where he was fatally stabbed. “A bag which contained $15,000, the day’s sales, was found empty next to him, and Mohammed was still in his work clothes. A pot with dogfood — first thing he attended to when he got home — was still on the stove. The signs clearly show he was followed and ambushed.”

According to reports, Rondel Sinanan, 26, arrived at the house around 8.15 pm and called out to Mohammed, his stepfather. When he got no response, he entered and found Mohammed lying in a pool of blood with several stab wounds in his back and stomach. Sinanan locked the house and went for his mother who sells roti nearby. Autopsy results confirmed Mohammed was stabbed 11 times. Police said they were treating the matter as a robbery and murder by intruders. When Newsday visited the scene, we were confronted by a high wall, burglar-proofed windows, and a number of dogs in a well-secured environment. Area residents said Mohammed had regular fall-outs with a relative who lived on the compound occasionally. Cpl Mercer of the Besson Street Police Station is investigating.