Father of murdered Grande man: Justice won't bring back my boy

Brian Auguste, the father of murder victim Antonio Auguste, says he is so distraught that not even the promise of justice could console him after his son's death.

Auguste, 23, was travelling in the back seat of a car on Logwood Trace, Mafeking Village, Mayaro, at around 9.30 pm on Sunday when the car was shot at.

Auguste was hit and died on the spot.

Also wounded in the attack were a woman, her eight-month-old son and a four-year-old daughter who was also sitting in the back seat.

The driver, who was not injured, drove Auguste and the children to hospital, where Auguste was declared dead.

The children had emergency surgery on Sunday night.

Speaking with Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Tuesday, the elder Auguste said he could not describe the grief he felt after his son's murder, and lamented the spate of crime, but was grateful the children survived the attack.

"Words can't really describe how I feel. Most people ask for justice but justice still won't bring back my boy. It's just God alone right now.

"I lost my son, but I'm just happy nothing drastic happened to the two little children.

"Right now I feel crime is out of control.

"It's only God alone can help us."

Auguste said his son used to live in Sangre Grande but moved to Mafeking, where he had lived for some time.

He said his son was friends with the woman whose children were hurt in the shooting.

Asked if he knew why anyone would want to hurt his son, Auguste said he heard of an incident in which his son was threatened with a cutlass the day before the shooting, but did not have many details on what happened.

He said while the motive for the murder was still unclear, some people believed Auguste was not the intended target of the gunmen.

Police from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region II are continuing enquiries.