35 killed in 17 days

Dominic Koon Koon.
Dominic Koon Koon.

The murder toll has risen to 35, after 17 days into the new year.

A 22-year-old rapper, aspiring actor and father from Malabar was shot dead on Monday night while another man was also shot dead in his car near his Petit Valley home yesterday afternoon.

Dominic Koon Koon, also known as Lil Starzz, was killed by an unknown gunman who entered his Koon Koon Trace, Malabar home, and shot him in the presence of his family.

The other victim, Jamal Joseph, is said to be an ex sailor who was dishonourably discharged from the Coast Guard.

Jamal Joseph

Koon Koon’s death has not only affected his family, including his three-year-old son, but has sent shock waves through the local rap community who took to Facebook to vent their feelings about his death and the void which was left. “Last night we lost more than a friend, more than a team member, we lost our brother. We are all shattered into so many confused pieces. Like why you? You were so genuine, funny and definitely the ‘littest’ (sic). Always laughing and making us laugh,” wrote Rysa Gabriel in a Facebook post.

Gabriel told Newsday he and Koon Koon met last year along with other rappers and producers, and they all quickly became friends.

“He was driven and devoted to becoming a rapper,” Gabriel said.

“His main focus was music, his group and his family. Something has to be done about the crime in this country. It is only innocent people getting hurt. This year was supposed to be our year. Just last night, before he was killed, he was saying that we were all going to do big things this year.

“We were planning pizza parties and dates to release albums, now we have to plan a funeral.”

Gabriel said Koon Koon was planning to release a single, titled These Days, within a few days, and was hoping to drop his EP sometime in March, but those plans have been shattered. Newsday was told a discussion will have to take place among relatives and group members to decide whether or not his last musical pieces would be released.

Police sources said at about 9.40 pm Koon Koon was at home with his family when they heard two gunshots outside. A moment later, the gunman burst through the front door. Relatives tried to subdue the gunman, but during the struggle he managed to get two shots off. The family disarmed the gunman and he fled. It was only in the aftermath of the attack that they realised Koon Koon had been shot. He died on the spot. Police who responded to the report of the shooting found the gun while cordoning off and processing the scene.

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