Construction worker shot dead in Laventille

The murder of Roger Jones has pushed the murder toll to 129 for the year.

Jones is believed to have been killed in a revenge attack for a robbery last year in Laventille.

He is reported to have close links with the persons who carried out the robbery, and was placed on a hit list by a group of men. Yesterday, Sharlaine Jones, the dead man’s mother, wept openly as she spoke about her son.

She said he was a good person and was not involved in a gang. The grieving woman added that when her son learnt about the threats issued by the men, he went to Tobago and tried to keep a low profile, but returned to Trinidad to be with his family.

He felt that the matter had ended there, but the killers carried out their plan on Monday night.

An eyewitness claimed that two armed men approached Jones around 9 pm, and told him to lie on the ground. They then fired four shots, hitting Jones in the back and left shoulder.

The gunmen then fled the scene. A bleeding Jones was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

At the Forensic Science Centre yesterday, relatives of the dead man called on the police to bring the people responsible for the murder to justice.

They added that the police/army presence in Laventille is a waste of time, because the patrols are not being carried out as were meant to be.

Residents claimed that only a few people in Laventille are being continuously harassed, and the patrols are hardly ever carried out. Residents also accused the police and army officers of disrespecting them.

They feel that the killings will continue because the police are not doing any surveillance or intelligence work in Laventille.

"They know who the gunmen are, but nothing is being done to seize the weapons and arrest those who are in possession of the high-powered guns and ammunition," said a distressed relative of Jones.