[UPDATED] Double murder in Pleasantville, three other killings keep cops busy

Six people were shot dead in five separate incidents between Friday evening and Saturday mid-morning across three police divisions in Trinidad.

The latest fatal shooting happened at around 10.35 am on Saturday at Bassie Street Extension, Spring Village, Valsayn, where the victim, Akel Modeste, died at the scene.

Police got a report of a shooting in progress at Spring Village, and found a yellow Toyota Aqua car parked on the roadway.

A man was slumped behind the driver's seat with multiple gunshot wounds to the head and the body.

The deceased was later identified as Modeste, of St Augustine, who worked with Total Convenience Management (TCM) Ltd. The car belonged to the company.

Video footage circulating on social media shows the car driving into and turning around the street. As the car was going out, a wagon heading oppositely blocked its pathway.

Two gunmen wearing dark clothing got out and began shooting at the driver.

As the two gunmen were shooting, the driver of the wagon quickly turned around with the front passenger door still open.

The gunmen returned in the wagon, which sped out of the street.

Two occupants in the yellow car got out and ran off.

TCM's founder and CEO Kirk Waithe commented on Modeste's shooting death in a WhatsApp message.

"Today, the TCM Group lost one of our team members to the violence currently plaguing TT. Akel Modeste of our Roadside Assistance Team was fatally shot."

Waithe referred to Modeste as a dedicated and committed team member who worked with the company for almost ten years.

"Akel will be fondly remembered for his boisterous passion for customer service. He referred to every client with whom he interfaced as 'my client'."

"Akel and his family remain in our thoughts and prayers. He will be greatly missed."

In a separate incident on Friday, police were called in after a double homicide at Cassia Avenue, Pleasantville, in San Fernando, around 6.15 pm.

The victims, Bevon "BG" Jules, 39, and his friend Akeem "Vince" Vincent, 31, died on the spot outside Building Two where they were standing.

Jules, the father of one, was a medical orderly at the San Fernando General Hospital.

Jules lived at Orchid Gardens and Vincent, at Coconut Boulevard, both in Pleasantville.

The two were standing on the western side of the building where a gunman ambushed them and began shooting.

As both victims fell to the ground, the gunman got into a Suzuki Swift car which sped away.

Homicide officers, including acting Cpl Marash, PC Young and WPCs Cadette and Gilkes visited the scene and gathered evidence.

The police recovered a total of 11 spent 9mm casings at the scene.

On Saturday, Jules' bereaved sister Nicole Small recalled he had returned home from work earlier, ate, and slept.

Shortly before 6 pm, he left home and told relatives that he was going to visit a friend as he usually did from time to time. About 15 – 20 minutes later, she got the news of his death. She believed that he was not the intended target.

"He was my little brother, the youngest of four. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was accustomed to going there. Maybe if he had stayed home and delayed for 20 minutes, he might have been alive today," Small said at the family's home.

She said their sickly mother, 77, is not taking the news well.

Small added that his killing had stirred up painful memories.

Her son Akeem "Bachac" Clarke, 25, was shot and killed in March 2020 while liming with a group of friends at Midas Lane, Corinth Hill, in the Ste Madeleine district.

No one was ever arrested and charged with Clarke's murder. However, the killer, believed to be someone from Marabella, was later gunned down.

No one was at Vincent's home when Newsday visited.

At around 7 pm on Friday, police responded to a report of a shooting at Bamboo Trace, Upper Fairley Street, in Tunapuna.

There they found the body of Kyle "Skinnies" Flemming, 21, with multiple gunshot wounds.

Less than an hour later, at around 7.50 pm, the police responded to yet another fatal shooting at O'Connor Street in Blanchisseuse.

Sgt Hosein and other officers of the Blanchisseuse Police Station found the body of Marvin Glaude, 37, on the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.

Sgt Ramoutar and other police from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (Region II) visited the scene and gathered evidence.

Investigators recovered a total of 65 spent casings, including 46 rounds of 9 mm, 11 rounds of 5.56 mm, and eight rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.

Glaude is the latest in a string of murders on O'Connor Street.

On August 11, firefighter Kerron Joseph, 38, was killed on O'Connor Street, Blanchisseuse.

Joseph had been wounded in a previous incident where two other men were shot dead on September 8, 2021, at O'Connor Street during a drive-by attack.

Over the past two years, O'Connor Street has had a spate of murders stemming from gang violence and drug-related incidents. Earlier this year, on April 21, villager Carver Evangelist, 50, of O'Connor Street, was shot dead near his home. Evangelist's eldest son, Sherwin Maharaj, 31, was murdered on February 17, 2021, while taking soft drinks to a relative on O'Connor Street.

His younger brother Michael Evangelist, 31, and another man Nigel Dedier, 51, were killed at a construction site in Blanchisseuse on January 27. Days after, Evangelist's sister's house was shot at and fire-bombed.

At around 7 am on Saturday, a man identified as Wendell Baptiste was gunned down at Eight Street, Five Rivers, in Arouca.

Investigations are ongoing. The latest killings have taken the murder tally to 372 for the year, according to the Homicide Bureau.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Five people were shot dead in four separate incidents within the last 24 hours across three police divisions in Trinidad.

At Cassia Avenue, Pleasantville in San Fernando, police responded to a report of a double homicide and found the victims, Akeem Vincent, 31, and Bevon "BJ" Jules, 41, dead outside Building Two at around 6.15 pm on Friday.

Vincent, of Coconut Boulevard, and Jules, of Orchid Gardens, both in Pleasantville, were standing on the western side of the building where a gunman ambushed them and began shooting.

As both victims fell to the ground, the gunman got into a Suzuki Swift car which sped away.

Homicide officers, including acting Cpl Marash, PC Young and WPCs Cadette and Gilkes visited the scene and gathered evidence.

The police recovered a total of 11 spent 9mm casings at the scene.

Minutes later, at around 7 pm, police responded to a report of a shooting at Bamboo Trace, Upper Fairley Street, in Tunapuna.

There they found the body of Kyle "Skinnies" Flemming, 21, with multiple gunshot wounds.

Less than an hour later, at around 7.50 pm, the police responded to yet another fatal shooting at O'Connor Street in Blanchisseuse.

Sgt Hosein and other officers of the Blanchisseuse Police Station found the body of Marvin Glaude, 37, on the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.

Sgt Ramoutar and other police from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (Region II) visited the scene and gathered evidence.

Investigators recovered a total of 65 spent casings, including 46 rounds of 9 mm, 11 rounds of 5.56 mm, and eight rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.

Glaude is the latest in string of murders on O'Connor Street.

On August 11, firefighter Kerron Joseph, 38, was killed on O’Connor Street, Blanchisseuse.

Joseph had been wounded in a previous incident where two other men were shot dead on September 8, 2021 at O'Connor Street during a drive-by attack.

Over the past two years, O’Connor Street has had a spate of murders stemming from gang violence and drug-related incidents. Earlier this year, on April 21, villager Carver Evangelist, 50, of O’Connor Street, was shot dead near his home. Evangelist’s eldest son, Sherwin Maharaj, 31, was murdered on February 17, 2021, while taking soft drinks to a relative on O'Connor Street.

His younger brother Michael Evangelist, 31, and another man Nigel Dedier, 51, were killed at a construction site in Blanchisseuse on January 27. Days after Evangelist’s sister’s house was shot at and firebombed.

And in the latest incident, around 7 am on Saturday, a man identified as Wendell Baptiste was gunned down at Eight Street, Five Rivers in Arouca.

Investigations are ongoing.