[UPDATED] DEAD CAN’T BE BURIED

The families of four people murdered since Christmas Eve will have to wait two more days before autopsies can be done.

They were told to return to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Monday, as no autopsies would be done on Friday, owing to limited space and time restraints.

Newsday was at the centre on Friday when senior staff told relatives gathered outside the building no autopsies would be done because of the lack of space in the autopsy room for the bodies of six men who had been killed over the past two days.

Relatives were also told no identification of bodies would be allowed until Monday.

Between Thursday and Friday four people were killed in unrelated incidents across Trinidad.

The killings brought the murder toll to 531, compared to 516 for the same period last year. The highest ever in the nation’s history was 550 in 2008.

On Friday, when asked to comment on the number of people killed so far in 2019. Police Commissioner Gary Griffith replied: “I’m not going down that road.”

On Thursday night 24-year-old Anthony Jaikaran was liming with friends at his Savanna Trace, Arima Old Road, Arouca, home when two gunmen walked up and shot at them.

Jaikaran was shot nine times. Two others were wounded.

Newsday spoke to Jaikaran’s father Choko Jaikaran at the centre. He said he chased his son’s killers with a cutlass after hearing the gunshots from inside the house. He said his son was the most recent relative to be killed and claimed his brother, Anthony’s uncle, has begun to receive death threats. He said within two months four relatives have been killed, and his son was threatened repeatedly.

The elder Jaikaran said he and other relatives were fearful for their lives.

“I followed the guys and them. I saw two of them walking away.

“I wasn’t scared when I followed them, it’s only one son I have. I was cutting some bananas off a tree in the back yard when I heard the gunshots and I ran out with it in hand.

“One of my nephews stopped me and hid my cutlass from me. He told me that they had guns but I didn’t care – they shot my son.”

Jaikaran said when he walked back to the house, he heard his wife’s screams and that was when he realised his son had died.

Asked how he felt about the delay in autopsies, Jaikaran said it was unfair and inconsiderate to have families wait another two days for them to be done.

“I don’t know what I’m going to tell my grandson...

“Right now I think it’s not just unfair how we have to come back on Monday, but it’s also wrong to put the other families through this. Look, right now they’re telling us that we can’t even view the body.

“Some people have been waiting since Christmas Eve for an autopsy, and here we are, the day after Boxing Day, and they still can’t get it done. People sometimes come further than myself to wait just to be sent back.”

On Christmas Eve Dharmadass Ramjit, 24, of Cunupia was shot and killed on Duncan Street, Port of Spain, where he had been taken to buy a van.

One of Ramjit’s relatives said they were also outraged by the delay and had waited long enough for answers about his murder. “We aren’t even allowed to see him (Ramjit). How can we be sure that the body they have in that van is really of my brother? We’ve been waiting since Christmas Eve and now they want to tell us to wait longer.

“We really don’t want the body to decompose and it becomes unrecognisable for us.”

Relatives were sceptical about the official report on Ramjit’s death and believe he was led to the area to be robbed and killed.

“The police told us that he was killed when he was caught in the crossfire in a shootout between two rival gangs, but we don’t believe that. He was taken there by someone, with $40,000 he made from selling scrap iron – and it wasn’t found on his body when he was killed.”

Relatives said Ramjit’s death soured Christmas holidays for the family. In another incident on Thursday night, Daryl Rampersad, of Claire Drive, Five Rivers, Arouca, was shot in Las Lomas.

He drove himself to the police station at around 12.15 am. Police took him to the Chaguanas Health Facility, but he was declared dead on arrival.

Hours later, at around 4 am, a 35-year-old St Joseph man was shot dead while liming at a bar in St Augustine.

Police said Joel Collier was at Bamboo’s Bar, College Road, St Augustine, at around 4 am when he got into an argument with another man. Collier reportedly walked away. Patrons told police they then heard gunfire and saw Collier bleeding on the ground. They called police, but Collier was declared dead at the scene shortly afterward.

This story was originally published with the title "Families turned away at forensics: No autopsies till Monday" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

The relatives of four murder victims were told to return to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Monday, as no autopsies would be done on Friday.

Newsday was at the centre when senior staff said no autopsies would be done owing to a lack of space at the autopsy room to accomodate six bodies that were sent to the centre.

One relative said the staff were not even allowing the families to identify the bodies.

Newsday spoke to the relatives of murdered scrap-iron dealer Dharamadass Ramjit, who said they were outraged at the delay, as he was killed on Tuesday and they still have not been able to view his body.

"We still don't even know if that's him they have in the funeral home van, and now they are telling us we have to come back on Monday? This is total nonsense," one relative said.

Newsday also spoke to Choko Jaikaran, father of Anthony Jaikaran, who was killed on Thursday night at his Savanna Drive, Arouca, home.

The elder Jaikaran said he was disappointed at the pace of progress at the centre but would have to put up with the delay.

"I think they were wrong to put the other families through that. My son died just last night, but you have others who were out here from since Christmas Eve, and some of them even come from further than where I come from. This could have been done better."

Staff told relatives forensic pathologist Dr Somu Sekhar Gajula will be at the centre from 8 am on Monday.