[UPDATED] Cops kill ‘The Boss,’ 2 men in Couva

Just three months after his release from prison, convicted kidnapper Phillip "The Boss" Boodram was killed by police, along with two men, in Esperanza, Couva on Saturday.

It was the second multiple killing by police this week.

Gerard Thorington, of Goodwill Road, Enterprise, and Malick Paul, of Railway Road, California, Couva were identified as the men fatally shot with Boodram.

A police report said Central Division CID and Gang Unit officers were chasing robbery suspects in a van shortly after 1 pm on Saturday.

The officers tried to intercept the van, but the occupants shot at them. The report said the police returned fire, hitting the three occupants.

The van came to a halt, and the injured men were taken to the Couva health facility, where doctors declared them dead. The police also found three loaded guns.

Boodram, of California, Couva, was released from prison in June. He and four co-accused — Roger Mootoo, Ricky Singh, Kervin Williams and Aaron Grappie — were convicted of the 2005 kidnapping of businesswoman Samdaye Rampersad.

Rampersad, of Petit Bourg in San Juan, was allegedly buried alive. Her body was found 41 days after she was kidnapped in a shallow grave in a cashew field in Carolina Village, Claxton Bay.

Boodram and the four co-accused spent almost 17 years in jail.

Saturday's killings comes after Central Division police fatally shot three men – Ricky "Ross" Taylor, Ronelle Alexander, and Kwame "Tusty" Wallace – at Enterprise Street, Enterprise in Chaguanas, at around 11 pm on Thursday.

The police said the men shot at the officers, who returned fire. The police found two guns.

Calls to acting CoP Mc Donald Jacob and the head of the Central Division on the incidents went unanswered.

There have been several police-involved killings this year.

On April 22, PC Clarence Gilkes of the Western Division was shot during a police exercise in Rich Plain in Diego Martin. Last month, a colleague, PC Kristian Genty, 28, was charged with the murder and shooting with intent after the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) completed its independent investigation into the death. Another colleague, WPC Crystal Williams-Bowman, was charged with shooting with intent and was granted $500,000 surety bail.

Diego Martin resident Jehlano Romney was initially named a suspect for Gilkes' killing.

The police had contended that they received a report of men being seen at Rich Plain Road with high-powered weapons. On arrival, the police claimed a gunman shot at them, hitting Gilkes.

Before dawn on July 2, three people, Fabien Richards, 21, and 17-year-olds Leonardo Niko Williams and Isaiah Roberts, were shot and killed in an alleged confrontation with the police at Independence Square, Port of Spain, near Republic Bank. The three were among six people in a car that crashed into a wall in a police chase. They were from Laventille and Beetham Gardens. The police reported that someone in the car shot at officers, who returned fire.

Two days later, on July 4, Beetham Gardens residents blocked both lanes of the Beetham Highway to show their displeasure. Residents from several areas in Sea Lots and East Port of Spain joined the protest in solidarity and simultaneously blocked other roads demanding justice. They accused the police of using excessive force. The protest caused gridlock traffic for hours, as many roads were impassable.

The police later interviewed the survivors, including a 15-year-old, and released them without charges.

Three police were reassigned to clerical duties as the matter is being investigated.

On July 19, Meshach Gibson, 22, was killed in an alleged shootout with police in La Fillette, Blanchisseuse. A police report said officers tried to stop a car with two occupants.

The driver stopped the car, and the two started shooting at the police. The police returned fire, hitting Gibson, who lived in Blanchisseuse, while the other escaped.

Police later seized a Beretta pistol and six rounds of ammunition.

The killing sparked several protests a week later along the North Coast Road.

This story was originally published with the title "‘The Boss,’ 2 men killed in a shootout with cops in Couva" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Convicted kidnapper Phillip "The Boss" Boodram and two unidentified men have been killed in a police-involved shooting in Esperanza, Couva.

A police report said Central Division CID and Gang Unit officers were chasing robbery suspects in a van shortly after 1 pm on Saturday.

The officers tried to intercept the van, but the occupants shot at them. The report said the officers returned fire, hitting the three occupants.

The van came to a halt, and the injured men were taken to the Couva health facility, where doctors declared them dead. The police also found three loaded guns.

Boodram, of California in Couva, was released from prison in June. He and four co-accused — Roger Mootoo, Ricky Singh, Kervin Williams, and Aaron Grappie — were convicted of the 2005 kidnapping of businesswoman Samdaye Rampersad.

Rampersad, of Petit Bourg in San Juan, was allegedly buried alive. Her body was found 41 days after the kidnapping in a shallow grave in a cashew field in Carolina Village, Claxton Bay.

Boodram and the four co-accused spent almost 17 years in jail.

Saturday’s killings was the second fatal shootout with police in the Central Division in the past few days.

On Thursday, at around 11 pm, the police shot and killed Ricky "Ross" Taylor, Ronelle Alexander, and Kwame "Tusty" Wallace at Enterprise Street, Enterprise in Chaguanas.

The police said the men shot at the officers, who returned fire, hitting the three men. The police found two guns.