Father of six gunned down

Roger “Black Roger” Bridgeman of Sylvia Hunt Avenue, La Horquetta, was reportedly shot more than 20 times.

His killing pushed the murder toll for the year to 255.

Four persons were murdered in four separate shootings between Monday night and yesterday.

During the same period last year 230 persons had been murdered.

This represents a ten percent increase in homicides.

Homicide officers yesterday expressed concern over the spate of killings in the country and admitted that gang-related killings seem to be on the upsurge.

Reports revealed that Roger Bridgeman, a URP worker and father of six, was driving his car north along First Caledonia at 9.30 am yesterday, when he was riddled with bullets by a gunman.

He remained slumped in the driver’s seat of the car as horrified passers-by glimpsed at his bloody, lifeless body.

Homicide officers went to the scene and cordoned off the area.

The dead man’s wife, Georgie Bridgeman, almost fainted at the murder scene and cried as she stared at her husband’s body in the car. She refused to believe that her husband was the person in the car.

Homicide officers took the weeping widow to the car where she clutched her chest and cried openly. She was quickly led away from the scene by a female officer and a relative.

Relatives of Bridgeman said he took good care of his wife and children.

However, investigators expressed concern over the killing, claiming it may spark a series of revenge killings over the next few days.

On September 10, 2003, Bridgeman was in a car with two others when the vehicle was riddled with bullets at Junction Road, Sangre Grande, but he escaped unhurt. Previously, two attempts were made to kill him in two other shooting incidents. On December 12, 2003, Bridgeman was charged with possession of 1.2 kilos of cocaine valued at $800,000.

He was later granted $60,000 bail.

Bridgeman was also charged with kidnapping of Venezuelan businessman Michael Arvelo last year May.