Shootout at club leaves one dead, two injured

KERWYN BARTHOLOMEW, a 23-year-old disc jockey (DJ) was killed by stray bullets while he danced to his own music inside JD’s Club at the corner of Covigne Road, Diego Martin yesterday morning. Two others suffered gunshot injuries and were treated at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Up until yesterday 191 persons were murdered for the year and six persons were killed within 48 hours. Senior homicide officers expressed alarm over the six killings and added that people no longer had respect for the lives of others.

According to reports, around 12.15 am two men had an argument outside JD’s Club. A man asked another man to take an injured person to hospital and he refused. This was followed by a heated argument which led to one of the men leaving the scene. He returned around 12.30 am in company with five others who began spraying bullets at the occupants of the bar. Patrons scampered in all directions for cover but Bartholomew, who was engrossed in the music, was not aware of the shootings taking place outside.

He continued to dance to his music and was felled by the stray bullets which struck him about the body. When he slumped to the ground, other patrons of the bar rushed to his assistance but they realised that he was dead. Officers of the West End Police Station were alerted and they went to the scene with a district medical officer. The body of Bartholomew was viewed and ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre. Several parts of the bar were riddled with bullets and were marked off by officers of the Crime Scenes Unit.

Yesterday, patrons of the bar returned to drink liquor while a fish vendor sold fish. The grocery adjacent to the club remained open for business. Patrons of the bar shied away from saying anything about the incident. At the home of Bartholomew relatives of the dead man said that they had nothing to say about the shooting death. One relative said, “He was a DJ and he was killed, that’s all we have to say.” Outside the house, friends of the dead man sat huddled together, the agony of grief  etched on their faces.