2 men gunned down in Couva, Claxton Bay

POLICE are investigating two murders in the Southern Division on Wednesday after one man was gunned down in Couva on Tuesday night while another was killed in Claxton Bay on Wednesday morning.

In the more recent incident, businessman Daniel Eversely, father of a two-year-old girl, was shot to death as he opened his car wash and poultry shop in Claxton Bay early Wednesday.

He was one of five people killed in the country within hours of the end of the two-day Caricom crime symposium held in Port of Spain on Monday and Tuesday.

Reports say that shots rang out around 7.45 am, reverberating throughout the quiet community of Claxton Bay.

Eversely who turned 33 on April 1, was later found bleeding from bullet wounds to the head, near a water tank.

In a video circulating on social media on Wednesday, a bleeding but still-alive Eversely can be seen lying on the ground against a concrete wall, repeatedly calling out a name that sounds like "Donna." A person seems to respond to him by saying, "I'm coming," then, "Yeah...I'm right here."

Eversely was eventually taken to the San Fernando General Hospital where he was declared dead.

His cousin Tessa Smith who arrived on the scene after the body was removed, told the Newsday she had no idea who would want Eversely dead.

“All I know, is that I went to drop one of my daughters to school when I got a video from someone, asking if this was my cousin.

“At the same time, I received a call from my brother, and he told me where it happened. When I went to Claxton Bay, police had already removed the body. They told us to come to identify the body.”

Smith, who is Eversely's oldest cousin, said she was viewed as the maternal figure in the family and had no idea if he was threatened or involved in anything.

“Even if anything was happening, they would not let me know. I stay away from those things.

"His mother died more than a year ago from covid and his father lives in England. He was the youngest of three siblings and had a two-year-old daughter. He was not married but had a girlfriend.”

"All I can say is that we have to be careful, know who we are affiliated with."

She said Eversely was supposed to join the rest of his cousins to celebrate her daughter’s 20th birthday later on Wednesday.

“All of the family were coming over by me this evening to celebrate my daughter’s birthday.”

Instead of celebrating, she said the family will have a meeting to discuss what happened and make funeral arrangements.

She said she was told an autopsy might be done at the Forensic Sciences Centre tomorrow.

Police are also investigating an overnight shooting at Roystonia Couva, which left Darius Cooper dead.

Cooper was at a car wash in the area when multiple gunshots were heard.

Residents called the police who found an unresponsive Cooper.

He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Elsewhere in Trinidad, at around 8 pm on Tuesday night, a woman identified only as Lashay was shot while liming with a man near Pope Avenue, Malabar, at around 8 pm. Renee Callender, 22, was at her home nearby when she was shot and killed by a stray bullet.

Also on Tuesday night, businessman Shiv Ramjattan, 42, was shot while sitting next to his wife as he drove away from his pharmacy on Henry Street, Aranguez, at around 9.15 pm. He tried to drive himself to the hospital but lost consciousness when he got to the Aranguez Roundabout. He was later declared dead at the hospital.