House burnt down days after murder

Gunmen set fire to a house in Claxton Bay early Saturday morning, two days after 23-year-old Jeremiah ‘G5’ Stephen was shot dead inside the bedroom of the building owned by his girlfriend.

Neither the girlfriend, Asha George, nor her two children were at home at the time of the fire which completely gutted the wooden structure. Police are working on the theory that the arsonists may be the same people who killed Stephen.

Reports are that at about 4.30 am on Saturday, gunshots rang out at the house located at Tambu Hill, Springvale in Claxton Bay. A group of armed men were seen throwing several Molotov cocktails (home-made bombs) at the house causing it to ignite. Within minutes it was gutted.

Last Thursday at about 10.30 am, gunmen entered the house and shot Stephen to death. The victim, described as a ‘hustler’ was originally from Lodge Road in Claxton Bay and moved to George’s house a few months ago. Hours before being killed, Stephen returned home from a party.

Police said that TT under-17 footballer Kya Edwards was struck by a stray bullet while standing in a yard a short distance away. Edwards, 15, was treated at the San Fernando General Hospital and discharged.

Couva police have detained a Guyana national also of Springvale, for questioning into Stephen’s murder and up to yesterday he remained in police custody. Residents told Newsday the original owner of the house were George’s parents policeman Eric George and Tara George.

On March 14, 1999, SRP George who was well-known for his crime-fighting exploits, shot and killed his wife of 14 years on the roadway metres from the house. He then shot and killed himself.