200 MURDERS
Trinidad and Tobago hit the double century in murders for 2005 with the murder of Timothy Payne at Lange Street, Gonzales, yesterday morning. The 25-year-old plumber was shot dead while on his way to work. Reports revealed that Payne left his home at 8 am, telling relatives that he was going to work. On reaching the corner of Lange Street, near the Gonzales Catholic Church, Payne was riddled with bullets by two gunmen. The execution was witnessed by scores of people on their way to work. Officers of the Belmont Police Station were alerted and the bleeding man was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival. With 200 people murdered and almost half of the year remaining, the country is set to break the dubious record of murders in a year once again. According to police Homicide Department figures, 182 of this year’s victims were male, while seven were 15 years old or younger. Eighty-five percent of the murders were gun-related. One hundred and forty-eight murders had been recorded during the same period last year, with 269 murders for the entire year. The month of May has been the busiest for killers so far, with 36 murders committed. In March there were 32 murders, 27 in February, 26 in January, and 24 in April and June. There have already been 21 murders in July. The highest number of murders — 69 — took place in the Port-of-Spain Division, followed by Western Division with 36, and Northern Division with 31.
Comments
"200 MURDERS"