Grande chopping leaves one dead, one critical

A 36-year-old man is assisting police with investigations into an altercation on Wednesday night which ended in the chopping death of a 22-year-old man and the hospitalisation of another.

According to reports, two men, one of whom was identified as Ronnie Baptiste, a 22-year-old man from Damarie Hill, Sangre Grande, entered the yard of the 36-year-old man and started pelting his house with bottles and stones.

The man left the house, armed with a cutlass, and confronted the intruders. A fight broke out which ended with Baptiste and the other trespasser being chopped several times.

Both were taken to Sangre Grande Hospital, but Baptiste died.

Newsday was unable to reach relatives of the chopping victim, but police sources said the occupant of the house, who was also injured, is being treated at hospital.

Initial investigations indicate the 36-year-old man was in an altercation in the village earlier. One police theory is that two men went to the house to retaliate after the altercation.