Dad of three gunned down

A 39-year-old father of three was gunned down at his Gonzales home on Saturday night.

His death is the 148th for the year so far. Police reports revealed that around 7 pm on Saturday Steve Gilkes was at his Quarry Road, Gonzales home when he was confronted by a masked man armed with a gun. Reports revealed that Gilkes, who is a member of the Bobo Shanti movement, attempted to run away but was shot several times. In his flight he collided with a glass window and suffered several cuts about the body. The bleeding man collapsed and was assisted by relatives who took him to the nearby Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Gilkes was pronounced dead on arrival.

The Belmont Police Station was alerted and a party of policemen went to the scene. The area was cordoned off and a search was carried out for the killer to no avail. When Newsday visited the scene relatives said that Gilkes belonged to the Boboshanti movement and never troubled anyone. Relatives expressed shock over the manner in while Gilkes was killed. They told Newsday that some members of the Boboshanti refused to assist when they heard of the shooting. Neighbours of the dead man claimed that Gilkes kept to himself and as far as they were concerned he was not involved in any illicit activities. An autopsy will be carried out today at the Forensic Science Centre.