Cunupia residents under self-imposed curfew

Renald “Rah” Elie, 46; Gerald “Tall man” Gibson, 52 and Willard Cantaro Ravello, 31 and Christopher Nelson, 48, were killed by the two masked gunmen at about 9pm Friday, during a game of dominoes outside the parlour on Kernaham Trace, Chin Chin Road, Cunupia.

Eye witnesses said the two masked men were seen chasing a man from nearby bushes. The man, eventually evaded the gunmen, who subsequently turned on the crowd seated outside the parlour.

One gunman told the four men, “Don’t stop all yuh game, we not on you.” The other gunman saw the men as an opportunity to rob them of their valuables.

At that point, words were exchanged between Christopher Nelson, one of the men in the game, and the gunmen. Nelson was shot once in the chest.

The gunman, thinking Nelson was “playing dead,” pumped several more bullets to his head, completely distorting Nelson’s face. Ravello then referred to a helicopter overhead saying, “Police could be looking for you, why you all nastying up the place?” To which a gunman responded before shooting Ravello dead.

On hearing the gunshots, Elie’s sister called him on his cell phone to find out if he was okay, but before Elie could answer, he too was shot dead.

Gibson, fearing he would suffer the same fate made a run for his life. He was chased a short distance and killed by one of the gunmen.

Commissioner of Police, Trevor Paul, along with ACP Maurice Piggott, Head of the Homicide Bureau, and ACP Dave King, Deputy Director of the Special Anti-Crime Unit of TT (SAUTT) an officer with Scotland Yard, visited the families on Saturday and promised to step up police patrols on the streets of the central area.

Residents in Kernaham Trace confirmed that the police have been patrolling the area, but they insisted that the recent murders had put fear into a once quiet neighbourhood.

Andre Elie, 24, son of murder victim Renald Elie, said he was trying to cope with the death of his both parents within such a short period. Elie said his mother succumbed to cancer in June this year after battling the disease for some time. He said his father had not taken easily the death of his wife of over 30 years. His dad he said, usually stayed out playing dominoes at the parlour to keep his mind occupied.

Young Elie told Newsday on the night of the murders, he was preparing to go and meet his father at the parlour, but was intercepted by his one year-old daughter who wanted to go for the walk. He said when he took the child back to the house for a change of clothing, he heard gunshots in the vicinity of the parlour. “They killed a peacemaker, who was a father to many,” Elie said.

He added that a “family day” carded for Saturday, was plunged into mourning instead, after the killings the night before. Gerald Daisley Gibson Jr, 29, son of Gerald Gibson told Newsday he fainted when he saw his father’s lifeless body on Friday evening. He said he was out of the neighbourhood when he received a call that his father was seriously injured in a mishap.

Gibson said his friends took him to “take a drink” before seeing his father’s body. “I still can’t believe this has happened; my father was such a cool and quiet person,” he said. At the home of Ravello, relatives from Venezuela arrived for the funeral of the 31-year-old barber scheduled for tomorrow.

Sister, Peggy Bolivar, said Friday was the first time her brother played dominoes at the parlour which was opened only about six months ago. “My brother was always listening to music in his bedroom when he was not cutting someone’s hair.” She told Newsday, 15 minutes before he met his death, Ravello hugged and kissed his seven-year-old-daughter.