Abduction before murder, man killed in living room

The country's murder toll yesterday stood at 399. For the same period last year, 372 were killed.

Two murders, which occurred in Paramin and Malabar, were responsible for pushing the figure to the brink of 400.

On Tuesday, at about 9.30 pm, Donald Marcano, 35, was in his living room at Hilltop Drive, Paramin with his infant son when three gunmen entered the porch and shot Marcano through a window.

Earlier that day, at about 4.30 pm, a 16-year-old relative of Marcano was standing on the road when he was abducted by three men who took him to a camp in a forested area. He was beaten and threatened before being dropped off close to his home shortly before 9.30 pm.

In the second incident, the 24-year-old son of an acting police inspector was shot dead in Malabar, Arima at about 10.15 pm on Tuesday.

Tyrique Green, 24, of Greenvale, La Horquetta was in the road when a black Nissan Xtrail approached him and shots were fired. Green slumped to the ground.

He was taken to the Arima health facility where he was pronounced dead.

Yesterday, senior police said 462 murders were recorded in 2016 and they are bracing for a similar or higher figure by the end of this year.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Irwin Hackshaw said, “It is unacceptable and the police need to do more despite the limited resources.

We need to push further to bring down this murder toll which we consider to be out of control.

The effort of the police will not stop, we will be proceeding full speed ahead to bring perpetrators to justice.”

Hackshaw also called on members of the public to partner with the police to share information which could lead to people being arrested.

He said over 800 illegal firearms were taken off the streets for the year and he believes the situation could have been worse if police had not made those seizures.

Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon said he was very concerned the murder toll was approaching the 400 mark.

“We will continue relentlessly to treat with the murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

“The Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit, which comprises officers from the former Organised Crime Narcotics and Firearms Bureau and Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit, is being prepared to treat with known criminal entities.

“We are going to step up our operational activities between now and the end of the year and continuing into Carnival.”