One shot, another beaten over missing gun

A 19-YEAR-OLD man was shot seven times on Nelson Street Sunday night, and a 23-year-old Beverly Hills man was beaten to death, in two separate gang-related murders in East Port-of-Spain in the latest spate of violence in that area. The two deaths pushed the murder rate to 102 persons killed for the year. The first victim, Clarence Brizan, was ambushed as he walked along a road in John John, Laventille, around 11.30 am on Sunday. He was beaten about the head with a blunt instrument. Brizan was reportedly confronted by a group of men who accused him of stealing a gun. He was taken to an apartment in Beverly Hills, where a search was carried out for the gun. Brizan was then taken to John John where he was beaten on the head and left for dead. He was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and died around 1 pm Sunday.

His pregnant girlfriend Kamaria Guy, 22, told Newsday the last time she saw Brizan alive was around 6 am Sunday when she left for work at Amalgamated Security where she is a security guard. Guy said she was at work when she was informed of the death. She said as far as she was aware Brizan was not involved in any illicit activities. However, police investigators said he was part of a gang involved in a series of shootings and murders in Laventille. Meanwhile, at around 9.30 pm Sunday, another man, Daniel Paul Clement, 19, of Piccadilly Street, was shot by a lone gunman seven times while liming with a group of men at Nelson Street. Clement slumped to the ground and died minutes after being shot. His body lay unattended for more than one hour as attempts were made to locate a District Medical Officer. Clement’s twin brother, Simeon, said yesterday he feared for his life and intends to stay indoors. The dead man’s father, Darryl said yesterday that he was at home when he was told his son had been shot. When he arrived at  the scene he saw his son’s lifeless body and begged the police and army officers who were present to allow him to take his son to hospital. “My son was still breathing when I checked his heart, but he died shortly after,” said the grieving father. He said his son was a painter at the National Housing Authority. He could not say why his son was killed. Police said yesterday Clement was a suspect in several murders and was recently charged with possession of a gun. He was also recently placed on ID parades for a series of murders.