PM shocked by 'cold-blooded' killing

The Prime Minister has expressed shock over the murder of 40-year-old MI4 security officer Mark Nurse.

Nurse of Canaan Feeder Road in Canaan, a Com­mu­ni­ty Emer­gency Re­sponse Team (CERT) em­ploy­ee, who also worked as a se­cu­ri­ty of­fi­cer, was shot dead ear­ly Fri­day morn­ing at Pen­ny Savers Su­per­mar­ket in Carn­bee.

Police said at ap­prox­i­mate­ly 1.20 am on Fri­day Nurse was shot dead by two masked men. He was part of the se­cu­ri­ty de­tail re­mov­ing the su­per­mar­ket’s sales for the day.

Nurse’s colleague Atoyia Charles, who was also shot, was tak­en to the Scar­bor­ough Hos­pi­tal. She has since been transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope.

At the opening of the Roxborough Police Station on Friday afternoon, Dr Rowley said, "We know that there is a crime surge in the country, but at least in some areas, you think that it's not happening there, and then to wake up to that...

"And to think that in this tranquil community of Tobago that there are killers, cold-blooded killers who are prepared to operate like that, should cause pause for all of us."

Rowley urged the police to catch the killers, as they are likely to murder again.

"Now they’re running around out there, and the job now is to find them, because if you don’t find them, then they’ll do it again. If you do find them, then they should not enjoy the freedoms that law-abiding people take for granted.”

Minister of National Security Stuart Young, who was at the opening of the police station, said assault rifles were used during the attack.

“One of the spent shells that were found at this crime scene was what we call a 5.56 round as well as a 9mm – a 5.56 round is used by AR-15s, which are assault rifles.

“So let no one think that anywhere in Trinidad and Tobago is safe from the use of these assault rifles,” Young said.

He said in the new year, Parliament is going to push the Bail Amendment Bill so that perpetrators found with assault rifles would be denied bail.

Speaking earlier at a press conference by the PNM Tobago Council, PRO Kwesi DesVignes urged the public to help the police catch the killers.

“Anyone here in Tobago who has any information that they wish to share with the police that may lead to the arrest, and the persons responsible for the heinous crime to be brought to justice... please come forward. Please go to the police, call 1-800-TIPS if you have to, call the Crime Stoppers network. Call someone, make a report, make an anonymous report if you have to.

"But the only way we can get criminals brought to justice is with the information from the public,” he said.