Man shot, 2 escape in police shootout in Port of Spain

A man was shot in the face on Nelson Street, Port of Spain, in a shootout on Thursday morning, during curfew hours.

Two other men were arrested and two others escaped.

A report said police spotted a white Hyundai Accent driving west along Independence Square around 3.40 am.

The curfew is from 9 pm-5 am.

The driver stopped on recognising a marked police vehicle parked nearby, then turned round and drove off in the opposite direction.

Police followed the vehicle, which the driver tried to hide in the grounds of Building 74-76 on Nelson Street. As police approached the parked car two men got out and shot at them. The officers fired back. The shooters managed to run away.

On checking the car, police saw three other men – a 27-year-old, of Maloney Gardens, and a 25-year-old and 31-year-old, both of Eastern Quarry, Laventille – in the back seat.

One of the men had been shot in the face. He was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital.

The other two were taken to the Besson Street Police Station.

Police found a Lorcin pistol with one round of ammunition and seized the car.

The escapees are still at large. Investigations are ongoing.