10-year-old shot in Carenage in ongoing Trinibad gun violence

A ten-year-old boy was shot in the left foot on Monday afternoon when gunmen started shooting at a car at Upper Benedictine Street, Carenage.

Police reported that the shooters were aiming at the 24-year-old driver when the child, who was nearby, was shot.

The driver was injured in both hands, police said, and was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital.

Police said the child, who lives at Benedictine Street, was a bystander when the shooting took place around 4 pm. The intended target, who also lives at Benedictine Street, and the child are not related.

The shooting, police said, is linked to the ongoing war among Trinibad artistes, with this latest shooting being another attempt at attacking the associates of one singer, originally from East Port of Spain, who owns a home in Carenage.

Last September police shot a 39-year-old man who was found outside the artiste’s Carenage home with a loaded Mac 11 sub-machine. Police also found a black knapsack containing a black hoodie, a hat and two velcro patches with the word "POLICE" on them.

That incident was the second violent incident that took place near the singer’s home, as days before, gunmen shot up the house, but no one was injured in that attack.

The increased gun violence among Trinibad artistes prompted one record label to produce "Trinigood" music for the month of June, after one of its artists was murdered.

In May, Going Global Team said it recognised the recent upsurge in crime and violence and is aiming to change that by not releasing music that glorifies killing.

The label’s artist Antonio “Wacko Dan” Reyes, 22, was murdered on May 3. Police reported two gunmen got out of a white Toyota Hilux van and started shooting at Reyes while he was liming at Symond Valley, St Ann’s.

Seven days before his killing, Reyes recorded a song in which he cursed a reputed gang member. Police said that was the cause of his death.

Reyes is among a growing list of Trinibad artistes gunned down.

In 2020 Kyle “Rebel Sixx” George was killed after he was ambushed at his Arouca home while playing video games.

Others like N’Kosi “Fari Dan” Bovell, Brad Bailey, Carlton “CJ Dan” Campbell, “Daniel Mad Dog” Hamilton and Keenan “Craigman” Craig were also murdered.

Like the innocent ten-year-old boy who was shot because of the "war, "Bridget James, 25, was killed when gunmen came for her boyfriend, Trinibad artiste Kalonji Arthur, at the parking lot of The BRIX hotel in Cascade in September last year.