Relative of panyard murder victim: He was on his way to work

What was supposed to be a short lime with friends before going to work took a deadly turn for 40-year-old labourer Steffon Garrick as he was gunned down at a panyard in San Juan on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force received a report of a shooting at the Pamberi panyard on the Santa Cruz Old Road, at around 4.45 pm.

Officers found Garrick's body and two men bleeding from gunshot wounds.

Garrick was declared dead. Police took one of the wounded men to hospital, The other had been taken to hospital by a passer-by shortly before. Both men remained in hospital up to Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking with Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Wednesday, one of Garrick's relatives said Garrick had been hired to help decorate West Mall on Tuesday afternoon and stopped at the panyard to talk with friends when he was killed.

She insisted Garrick was not known to be involved in any criminal activities and believed he was not the target of the gunmen.

"He was always a good fella, in fact that very afternoon he was hired to help some workers decorate the mall.

"It's really sad you could just stop to talk to someone and just like that you get killed in the process.

"This crime situation is really out of control, because everywhere you look it seems new killings are happening."

The Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region II is continuing enquiries.