Another murder in Oropune

CALVIN Straker, 28, was gunned down on Thursday night outside Building 4A, Oropune Gardens, Piarco. Less than one month ago, 18-year-old disc-jockey Kadeem “DJ Kiddo” Johnson was shot dead in the same area. Initially, curious residents gathered in a nearby dark, unlit car park and queried Straker’s identity, with many referring to him as “a stranger.”

“I wonder if is a case of mistaken identity boy,” asked one, while others took photos and posted same to social media. However, a source told Newsday, that Straker had two addresses.

“People saying he lived here, in Oropune and also at Samaroo Village, Arima,” said a police source.

On Straker’s Instagram page, he described himself as a “self-made artiste” and posted about the release of his first single, I Am. On Thursday night, Kevin Thompson, an Oropune resident of close to ten years, cried out in frustration: “Another one again, almost the same spot? Oh gosh, we begging now.

“We need proper lighting at all the car parks. We need cameras on this area in particular and we begging for them (HDC) to remove some of the trees in the area, which is often and can be used as a hiding place for criminals and bandits.”

Thompson, who lives in Building 2A, a stone’s throw away from where both Johnson and Straker were gunned down, said residents, now more than ever, are concerned about their safety. They have already begun “staying indoors before it gets dark, unless they have too come out, for work or emergencies,” he said.

This time he was just thankful to God that no one else was hurt. Another resident said she was at home at a nearby building, when she heard “rapid gunfire.” The mother of four said she immediately called out to her sons, to make sure they were all at home and indoors.

“The police and the HDC, need to realise that it is under the guise of darkness that crime continues to happen, unabated, in Oropune,” the woman said.

Residents said gunshots often “ring out” at nights, at random times. They said it was unfair that because of inaction from the authorities, a community where children should be safe enough to play outside must now do so indoors, especially when the sun sets.