Two shot dead in separate incidents

TWO men were killed in separate shootings on Friday night, one of them by a man who was told by his victim, moments before, to change his life.

Police said Levi Moses was shot twice in the upper right chest and once in the pelvis, by a man who he was trying to convince to give up a life of violence and criminality. Around 8.30 pm at Perkins Street, Arouca, Moses, 30, a father of two, confronted the man who then shot him. He was taken to the Arima health facility and then transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where he died around 7.30 am yesterday. Police said after being shot, Moses managed to tell someone who shot him.

In the second shooting, Atiba Mitchell, 36, was declared dead on arrival at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex on Friday night after he was taken there by a neighbour. Mitchell, 36, of Vickey Trace, La Canoa was at home when his girlfriend, Kinda Jankie, 32, heard gunshots around 11.15pm.

Speaking with reporters at her Monroe Road, La Canoa home yesterday, Jankie and Mitchell’s brother Osei said he was a not a man involved in any criminal activity and they could not understand why anyone wanted him dead. They said Mitchell was still dealing with the death of his father who passed away on Father’s Day.

One of Mitchell’s friends, who was at the home yesterday, said on Thursday night there were masked men in the area and when told about it, Mitchell responded that he “did not have any cocoa in the sun”. The friend added that moments before the shooting he left Mitchell in a jovial state and came home. While home he heard the gunshot and thought nothing of it only to be awakened moments later by a phone call from Osei telling him Mitchell was shot.

Osei said the death of his brother was like deja vu as he was at work in Tobago when he got the call that his father had died and less than four weeks later he again got another call while working on Tobago that his brother had been killed. Mitchell he said was the oldest child and since their father’s death, the two grew closer. Still grieving over his father’s death, Osei said he was not sure how he was going to cope with his brother’s.

Mitchell was a shopkeeper and would “practically give away his goods” Jankie said. She added that he threw himself on her and shielded her from the gunmen who stormed their home and opened fire. Mitchell was shot at least three times in his abdomen police said. The father of one was described as a peaceful man who would rather not involve himself in gun violence but if someone was upset with him he would prefer they fight it out, if need be, and that was the end of it.

Police said they have no idea why Mitchell was targeted as he is not known to be involved in criminal activity. Osei and Jankie said there is no war in the area that may have resulted in the killing and he was not someone to be out of his some regularly.