La Romaine crime spike blamed on drug turf war

Police are working on information that the regular gun play is as a result of a known criminal gang from San Fernando now slowly moving in to certain areas in La Romaine in an attempt to take over their “blocks”. On Saturday, a mobile police unit was installed at the corner of Potato Trace, La Romaine as officers of the Southern Division grapple with the increase in shootings and woundings in the area. Police said except for the murder of Adrian Paul, 29, on Friday night, considered unrelated to the ongoing warfare, the area was very quiet over the weekend.

A senior officer told Newsday yesterday, “Over the weekend, La Romaine was like a ghost town.

Nobody was liming on the main road as usually happens. We had a murder in the community but it was not in that zone and that death was over a man leaning on a next man’s car.” The officer said although businessmen welcomed the presence of a mobile unit in the area, they are complaining about the drop in sales. Yesterday a 40-year-old man appeared before a San Fernando Magistrate on six gun related charges. He was one of six persons detained last week following Paul’s murder. Police are yet to arrest anyone in connection with Paul’s killing even as the search continues for the person who shot and killed Brown who lived at Phyllis Street, La Romaine.

A visually impaired man, who was at the bar when Paul was killed, has since distanced himself from the shooting incident. The 35 year old PH driver has now going into hiding for fear of his own life saying that persons believe he knows the person who pulled the trigger