Three dead, house set ablaze in Long Circular

Residents of Freedom Place, Upper Dibe Road, Long Circular, were awoken by the sound of gunshots and the scent of smoke after a house was torched with three people inside early on Tuesday morning.

Police said two Spanish-speaking men and a woman were at the house at around 2.15 am when they were shot and killed.

They suspect the killers set fire to the house before running away.

Residents told police they heard about 12 shots and saw smoke and flames shortly after.

Officers from the Four Roads, Wrightson Road and Morvant fire stations extinguished the blaze and found the three bodies in the living room.

Police said they also found several spent shells.

Up to press time investigators were still trying to identify the three victims.

Newsday visited the scene and spoke to residents, who said the people had been renting the house for about a year, but did not have much interaction with them.

One man said they were known to play loud music late at night and early in the morning, so he did not think much when he heard the sound of gunfire coming from the house.

"I know sometimes they play their music really loud and some songs might have gunshots and sirens for special effects, so it didn't really arouse my suspicion when I heard it this morning.

"It's only when I looked out and checked I saw smoke coming from one of the windows – that's when I knew something was off."

Investigators from the fire service visited at around midday on Tuesday and assessed the house to try to determine where the fire started.

One neighbour said he saw several people run away from the house through a bushy track nearby.

Senior police said they were still continuing enquiries into the cause of death of the victims

As of Tuesday afternoon the murder toll for the year stood at 369 compared to 504 for the same period last year.

Sources said the three latest deaths would not be classified as murders until an autopsy could be done to confirm the cause of death.

Western Division police are continuing enquiries.