[UPDATED] Mourning mother of murder victim: I'm just one of many

The 65-year-old mother of Reynold Martinez, 51, one of two men who were shot dead on St Paul Street, Port of Spain, on Friday, said she was not the first to mourn the loss of a son and she would not be the last.

Speaking to Newsday at St Paul Street hours after her son’s death, she said she was coming to terms with the death of her son.

“There are several mothers who had to live with the loss of a loved one before me, and there will be several others who would have to live with the loss of a son after me,” Virginia Martinez told Newsday reporters.

At about 6.45 am Martinez, of Rodney Street, East Dry River, was liming with Stephen Felix Joseph of Clifton towers, St Paul Street, when a white Nissan AD Wagon stopped near them.

A gunman got out of the car and shot them several times, then got back into the car and sped off.

Police were alerted. When they arrived they found the duo dead in the road.

Martinez’ mother said she was at her home on Clifton Street when she heard the gunshots. Shortly after she got a phone call from another resident in the area saying that her son was dead.

“When I came down the road, I saw my Reynold on the ground with the other man. All I could think is that my son was shot dead.”

She described him as a friendly, non-violent person.

“He liked to drink and lime, like everyone else,” she said. “He liked to play basketball. He didn’t humbug anyone. He was considered an elder in the community. The other guy (Stephen) was not a violent person either.”

In a separate incident, a 30-year-old man was wounded after a drive-by shooting in Morvant on Thursday night.

Police reports said, at about 6.45 pm, the victim was sitting on a culvert on Carpenter Street, Morvant, when a black Hyundai Accent drove up to him.

The occupants of the car shot at him before speeding off. Residents in the area checked and found the man lying on the ground nursing gunshot wounds.

He was taken to hospital where he is being treated.

The murder toll now stands at 343 for the year. For the same period last year it was 226.

This story was originally published with the title "Two shot dead at St Paul Street, Port of Spain" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Two 51-year-old men are dead after a shooting at St Paul Street, Port of Spain, on Friday morning.

Police said Jason Stephen Martinez of Rodney Street, East Dry River, and Stephen Felix Joseph of Clifton Towers, St Paul Street, were liming when, at about 6.45 am, a white AD Wagon stopped near them.

A man got out of the car and shot them several times before getting back into the car and driving off.

When police arrived they found the men dead in the road.

The bodies were removed and taken to the Forensic Science Centre, St James.