Patna man gunned down

LADY LUCK deserted a 31-year-old Patna Village man who after surviving three separate shooting incidents in the past, was gunned down at Blue Basin in Diego Martin on Tuesday evening.

Earl Emmanuel Mars, an electrician, reportedly left home at 7 am on Tuesday telling relatives he was going to look for work after he signed in at West End Police Station - a condition of his bail for a court matter.

Hours later, Mars who police said had 15 prior convictions for possession of illegal narcotics, was found dead by villagers at Blue Basin Springs. The body was reportedly found on a dried out riverbed.

A blood trail led police to believe Mars was shot elsewhere and ran for some distance before collapsing. Police sources said Mars was shot twice in the neck, twice in the chest and once in the stomach.

His brother Nathaniel said he got a shock when police called on him at the family’s Cicada Extension home yesterday to identify the body. “I know there is a God and I want justice for my brother’s death,” Nathaniel said.

According to police reports, Mars’ body was found around 8.30 am by a man who was walking along a deserted road near the dried riverbed. The villager immediately alerted the E999 Rapid Response Police.

Officers who arrived on the scene, secured the area and interviewed several villagers. The body was viewed by the District Medical Officer and ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy.

Up to late yesterday, no arrest had been made and detectives from the Homicide Bureau are continuing investigations.