Man killed for juice

AN argument over a bottle of orange juice turned deadly yesterday when a 47-year-old Tunapuna man was murdered at a neighbourhood parlour when an irate customer shot him several times over the drink.

Lester Sookhai’s killing brought the murder toll for the year to date to 499.

He was killed at a shop at First Trace, Maingot Road, Tunapuna, when he came to his daughter’s defence against a customer who began arguing with her about the juice. Sookhai heard the commotion and confronted the man.

The customer left and returned a short while later with a pistol, shot the elder Sookhai several times, then ran away. Tunapuna police responded to calls about the shooting at around 10.30 am.

Newsday spoke to Sookhai’s mother Marjorie, who said she was at the back of the store when she heard the gunfire. She said her granddaughter was deeply shaken by the killing and lamented how unsafe her community had become.

“He always used to defend his daughter any time she was working in the shop, but he never wanted to go around and pick fights and arguments with people. Every morning he would sit with his newspaper in the shop. He was a very easygoing person.

“We were born and raised here. But when you hear gunshots you must be afraid. There are killers and wanted people in the community, the police needs to get involved.”

The elder Sookhai said she lost her husband seven months ago and was already in mourning.

Newsday visited the scene and saw frightened neighbours watching from their homes, as homicide officers and crime scene investigators examined the body.

Sookhai’s two daughters, 18 and ten, were at the shop being consoled by relatives.

Relatives said Sookhai most likely knew his killer.

Sookhai worked as a landscaper for the Forestry Division and sometimes acted as a moneylender.

Police are looking at CCTV surveillance footage to try and identify the killer.

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