[UPDATED] Deadly card game: Two dead, five wounded in Petit Bourg shooting

A shooting in Petit Bourg on Thursday night led to the deaths of two men and the wounding of five others, while frightening nearby residents.

Police said Anthony Richards, 27, and Nikoli McDonald, 20, were among a group of men playing cards at a house on Germaine Avenue, Upper Irving Street at around 11.15 pm when gunmen approached and started shooting.

Nearby residents heard the gunshots and called the police, who took McDonald and the other injured men to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, where he was declared dead.

Richards died on the spot.

Two of the five men in hospital are said to be in critical condition.

Newsday visited the area and tried to speak with McDonald's relatives, but they declined to comment.

Neighbours recalled clearly hearing the gunshots and said they were shaken to know that two of their neighbours were murdered so close bye.

"We were at home at the time and heard the gunshots. It's frightening. Nobody is feeling safe. Nobody can say they feel safe when it happens right there next to your own home."

The neighbours said they grew up with McDonald and remembered him as someone who enjoyed life and having nice things.

They said Richards moved to the area relatively recently, and lived alone in an apartment, but fitted in with their group of friends.

They could not give a motive for the murders, but blamed the violence on a lack of proper role models for young men in the area.

"It's a generational curse, there aren't any examples for young people to follow."

Crime scene investigators found 20 spent shells, 16 bullet fragments and 18 deformed bullets at the scene.

Officers from the San Juan CID, North Eastern Division Task Force, the North Eastern Division Gang Intelligence Unit and the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region II visited and are continuing enquiries.

Senior police in the North Eastern Division said they would ramp up police activities and visibility over the weekend.

"All night last night the patrols were out in anticipation of the long weekend. Since yesterday morning we had operations.

"That shooting took place in a remote area, a sort of hideout, and these men were between two buildings and people just came and opened fire wild like that.

"As a response, there's going to be high police visibility and a strong presence. But there's not much else that can be done," one officer said.

This latest incident follows one in which seven people were wounded while gambling at Techier Village, Point Fortin on April 1.

Among those who were shot was an ex-Presentation College, San Fernando footballer who was awaiting a call from the National Under-23 football team for trials.

The men were at the side of a house when gunmen ambushed them and announced a hold-up.

The group ran off in different directions, and the gunmen started shooting, hitting the seven. They were all taken to the Point Fortin Hospital and transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital.

This story was originally published with the title "Two dead, five wounded in Petit Bourg shooting" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A GAME of cards took a deadly turn when two men were shot dead and five others wounded during a shooting in Petit Bourg on Thursday night.

Police said Anthony Richards, 27, and Nikoli McDonald, 20, were among a group of men playing cards at a house on Germaine Avenue, Upper Irving Street at around 11.15 pm when they were approached by gunmen who opened fire.

Residents heard the gunshots and called the police who went to the scene and took McDonald and the other wounded men to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope where he was declared dead.

Richards died on the spot.

A team of officers from the San Juan CID, North Eastern Division Task Force, the North Eastern Division Gang Intelligence Unit and the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region II visited.

Crime scene investigators found 20 spent shells, 16 bullet fragments and 18 deformed bullets at the scene.

Two of the five men now warded at hospital are said to be in critical condition.

In an unrelated incident, police said a man identified as Corey Benjamin, was shot dead overnight in Auzonville Street, Tunapuna.