Shot man attends wife’s funeral

CLIVE LEWIS alias Adil Ghani, 36, one of two men shot several times in a drive-by shooting at Movie Towne last Wednesday, discharged himself from the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Sunday and is now at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Surrounded by armed police officers, Ghani attended the funeral service of his common-law wife Jilla Bowen, who was shot dead outside Movie Towne in the same incident. Sitting in a wheelchair, Ghani was wheeled into the small chapel of the Armstrong Funeral Home on Observatory Street. There was a strong police presence as scores of people including employees of Island Club Casino where Bowen worked, turned out for the funeral service of the 31-year-old supervisor. Bowen’s seven-year-old son Stephen and her seven-month-old baby (with Ghani) were there, oblivious to the fact that their mother was dead. Also present was Bilaal Abdullah, the leader of the Muslimeen insurgents at the Red House during the 1990 attempted coup. Pastor Glen Awong, speaking at the graveside at the Western Cemetery, called for something to be done about the crime situation. He said violence in society would continue if nobody raises a voice. “Where are the worries?” he asked.

Senior officers said Ghani has been placed under police guard. Bowen was shot dead in the drive-by shooting, while Salim Rasheed, who was shot more than five times in the same incident, remains in critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Police officers told Newsday they intend to interview Ghani today from his hospital bed. They added that Ghani was now in a position to give them a true account of what happened last Wednesday night. Investigators said several persons who were in the vicinity of the shooting were interviewed and gave descriptions of the killers. Sgt Nandram Moonilal is investigating.