...woman shot dead in Gonzales

POLICE are working on the theory that Wednesday night’s fatal shooting of City Council worker Delene Long may be linked to the recent killings of pickpocket kingpin Neil “Big Neil” Lewis and Jamaat al Muslimeen member Mark Guerra. Long was reportedly the mother of Lewis’s son, Leon Ojoe.

Investigators said that while Long’s death appears to be robbery-related, they were not dismissing a theory that the shooting might have been a revenge killing planned to look like robbery.  Lewis of Laventille was gunned down in Port-of-Spain on the night of March 15. Guerra was shot to death at Wallerfield, Arima on March 23. Reports on Wednesday’s shooting are that around 9.10pm, Long, 45, of #26 Augustine Lane, Gonzales, was at her home where a birthday party was in progress for one of her sons, O’Neil Long. There were approximately 20 people present.

Police said the mixed crowd of young people heard a gunshot outside Long’s home, after which two armed men entered the woman’s house. Everyone was ordered to lie on the floor and Ojoe was robbed of a gold chain and watch, together valued $1,600. A bottle of Scotch whisky was also taken. As the men were about to leave the house, police said Long enquired: “Is a birthday party all yuh going to rob?”  One of the armed men made an about turn and shot Long on the left side of her head.

The woman was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. A post mortem performed yesterday by pathologist Dr Hughvon DesVignes revealed she died from gunshot injury to the head. After the shooting a report was made and a party of officers including Insps Manechand Ramnarine and Chaitoo, Sgts Wayne Dick and Randolph Boyce and Cpls Learie Barrington and Springer visited the scene and conducted investigations. Senior officers said yesterday that they were concerned as to why Ojoe was the only one robbed at the party. None of Long’s children wanted to speak when the media visited their home yesterday. However, one male resident told Newsday that the same two men are believed to have been behind robberies which had occurred earlier in the night.

Inspite of information received, police still believe that Long’s killing is in some way connected to the deaths of Lewis and Guerra. No arrests had been made up to late evening and Cpl Barrington of the Belmont Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is continuing investigations.