TT records most murders in one weekend

DURING the period June 5 to 8, TT recorded its largest number of murders. Seven in four days, three of which took place within 24 hours. Murder 1: Mala Rampersad, 27, was fatally stabbed on Saturday June 5 around 1 am by a man outside her St Augustine home over a broken wall. Her common-law husband Basdeo Sinanan was also stabbed but his wounds were not fatal. Murder 2: Two hours later security officer Gerald Maingot, 22, alias ‘Casa’ was shot dead while sleeping at his neighbour’s Wilson Street Diego Martin home. Police believe the intention was to kill everyone in the house but Casa who was the closest was shot first, the other four occupants escaped.

Murder 3: Later around 9.30 pm Marva Morris was sitting outside her Pelican Extension Road, Morvant home when a lone gunman walked up and fatally shot her ten times. Murder 4: On Monday morning June 7, around 9.10 Ludick Clarke, 23, alias ‘Oui’ of Simeon Road, Petit Valley was sitting on a wall around Sparrow Hideaway when a lone gunman walked up to him and fired three shots hitting him in his arm, leg and stomach. He died around 8.45 that night after emergency surgery. Police believe the killing was drug related. Murder 5: Thirty minutes before Clarke died state witness Michael Ali aka ‘Red Mike’ 59, was making his way home, seven metres from his Pioneer Drive, Petit Valley home when he was fatally shot. Murders 6/7: On Tuesday evening June 8 two rival gang members Jensen Smith, 26, alias ‘Goatman’ and Oba Daniel, 20, confronted each other at Prizgar Lands, Laventille where a shootout took place.

When the dust cleared both men lay bleeding on the ground. They were rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where they died within seconds of each other. Police suspect an escalated gang war over the shooting. With the reduction in the charge against PC Dave Burnett from murder to manslaughter by chief magistrate Sherman McNicoll arising out of the January 24 fatal shooting of Kevin Cato, 18, of Chin Chin Road, Cunupia at the ‘Outrageous in Red’ Carnival fete at Pier 1 Chaguaramas, the tally of murders for the year to date has dropped from 108 to 107.