BURGLAR KILLED ON ROOF

UNDERTAKERS were forced to climb an eight-foot gate to get to the body of a burglar on the roof of the sprawling St Clair home of RBTT Chairman Peter July late Tuesday night, after an RBTT security guard reportedly shot and killed the man who was at the time on the prowl.

The dead man was late yesterday identified through fingerprints as Fitzroy Malcolm, 42, of St Francois Valley Road, Belmont. Malcolm had ten cases pending before the Magistrates’ Courts for robbery and burglary, and also had a total of 19 previous convictions for burglary. An autopsy is expected to be done today at the Forensic Sciences Centre, St James. The positive identity of the deceased, described by police as a “career burglar”, was made after police matched his prints to those stored in their computer files.

Police sources told Newsday yesterday the RBTT security guard claimed he shot only a single warning shot in the air but later heard three explosions and then the intruder’s screams. A statement has been recorded from the 36-year-old guard whose service revolver and a quantity of spent shells have been seized as evidence by the police. According to police reports, around 11.30 pm, the security guard who was on duty at July’s home at the corner of Serpentine Road and Alexandra Street, spotted Malcolm who was dressed all in black, prowling around the house.

The guard, whom the police refused to identify, said he drew his service revolver and fired a single warning shot in the air, causing the startled intruder to run to the back of the house and climb unto the roof. What happened next is not too clear. However what is known is that three more shots were fired, and Malcolm slumped dead on the roof with wounds to the side of his chest and right hand. July, who was not at home at the time of the shooting, arrived to find heavily armed policemen at his home. Snr Supt Maurice Piggott, Snr Supt Gilbert Reyes, Insp McEwen Allen, Sgt Glen Hackett, Cpl Nicholas Thomas and PC Andre Lopez visited the scene and questioned the security guard. DMO Dr Kenneth Chai Hong arrived shortly and viewed Malcolm’s body.

Undertakers had to climb the house’s eight-foot gate to access the roof to get to the body. They later secured the corpse unto a stretcher which was carefully lowered to the ground. When officers searched Malcolm’s body they found that he was unarmed. Fingerprint experts went to the Port-of-Spain Mortuary where they ‘lifted’ the dead man’s prints, which were taken to Police Headquarters where they were successfully matched with Malcolm’s prints which were stored in the computer files.

When Newsday visited July’s home yesterday, we found the gates to the house tightly shut and armed RBTT guards, one of whom was wearing a bullet-proof vest, patrolling the compound. When we spoke into an intercom machine at the front gate, a female voice stated that both July and his wife Julia Ann were not at home. St Clair police officers, Insp McEwen Allen and Cpl Nicholas Thomas, were seen leaving the house sometime later. When Newsday contacted the Corporate Communication Department (CCD) of RBTT, Manager Helen Drayton was said to be out of office until next week. Messages left with her deputy Michael Callendar were not returned. Today’s autopsy will not only scientifically ascertain cause of death, but should also  serve to say where all the fired shots came from. Insp McEwen Allen and Sgt Glen Hackett, both of St Clair CID, are continuing investigations.