Father of Cross Crossing shooting victim: Men must walk away from conflict

THE FATHER of shooting victim Anissa Rajgobin-Ageemoolar is urging men to "walk away from conflict," the day after his daughter was shot and wounded by her estranged husband, Sharaz Ageemoolar, at Cross Crossing, San Fernando, on Monday.
Ageemoolar also shot and killed bystander Rosario "Danny" Ramdhan and stole a car during the incident.

Ageemoolar was later found dead in the same car, which was parked at Arjoonsingh Drive, La Romaine. Police believe he died by suicide.

Rajgobin-Ageemoolar's father, Basdeo Rajgobin, spoke to Newsday by phone on Tuesday.

He said too many men were abusing women, and Rajgobin urged them to "walk away" instead of resorting to violence.

Rajgobin said, he too had a broken marriage, but never resorted to violence. He said he walked away, kept his children and brought them up on his own.

Saying the incident had left him traumatised, Rajgobin said his daughter had been a victim of verbal and physical abuse for many years.

Rajgobin-Ageemoolar and her husband had two sons, now 23 and 25. Rajgobin said he was trying to deal with his grandsons, who were also traumatised.

Ageemoolar, he said, "used to beat her. She had real problems with him.

"Over the years, she left her marital home at Jones Street, La Romaine, many times, but returned with the aim of preserving her family life.

“When she came back to my home at Aripero this time, in June/July, she said she was never going back to him.”

While he was happy his daughter was alive, Rajgobin expressed his profound sorrow over the death of Ramdhan, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I am so very, very sorry for that young man. He is only 24. He had plans to go abroad, he was saving his money to migrate.

"I am so sorry to hear what happened to him, and for his family. He was an innocent man. You can’t just be taking people’s lives like that."

Rajgobin said Ageemoolar had recently asked his wife for a divorce, which was in the final stages, so he did not know what possessed his son-in-law to try to take his daughter’s life.

“I cannot believe he would do a stupid thing like this. I did not think he would take it this far.

"Twice, since she came to my home, my home was firebombed and shot up. I have no evidence he was involved in any of those incidents, but I had my suspicions.”

Rajgobin said he did not know Ageemoolar to be a FUL holder and believed he would have used an illegal gun to shoot Rajgobin-Ageemoolar when she went to renew her car insurance at General Accident Insurance Company on Monday.

Ageemoolar had followed his wife into the business place and asked to speak to her outside. She refused and he pulled out a gun and fired several shots at her chest, at close range. She was hit three times.

Ageemoolar then rushed outside and, in his haste to make a quick getaway, tried to get into a Nissan Tiida which he mistook for his own.

Ramdhan was sitting in the back seat of the ca, which belonged to his relative Kenton Moses. Moses, who had been inside the insurance office when Ageemoolar shot his wife, tried to make a citizen’s arrest.

Ageemoolar fired a shot, hitting Ramdhan. Ramdhan tried to escape, but collapsed a short distance away and died.

Ageemoolar himself was later found dead in the same car.

Rajgobin-Ageemoolar was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital, where she was treated for her wounds.

On Tuesday, Rajgobin told Newsday, “I held her hands and prayed for her at the hospital. I always pray for my children. Before she left home on Monday morning, I had a funny feeling and prayed for her.

“She is looking much better today (Tuesday) than she did yesterday. She is no longer critical. She is stable. Contrary to what was first reported, she was not shot twice, she was shot three times, in the area of her left shoulder.

“The shots were clean. The bullets exited her shoulder, so the doctors believe there would be no need for surgery.”

The home of Ramdhan’s grandmother Molly Ramdhan at Springvale, Claxton Bay, was filled with pain and sorrow when Newsday visited.

Molly said the family has been besieged by one tragedy after another, explaining that covid19 claimed the lives of three members of her family and a heart attack killed another.

Ramdhan was also Molly's second grandson to be killed since 2018.

Ramdhan was one of the two children of Molly's son, Ramnarine Ramdhan, and his wife, Charmaine. The couple are now separated.

Ramnarine was not at home and Charmaine was too distraught to speak to the media when Newsday visited.

Molly said she was heartbroken in 2018 when, during a home invasion, her grandson, Nicholas, was shot and killed. Now his brother’s life has also been taken by the bullet.

“I am very hurt. Danny was more like my son. He and his brother grow up with me from Pampers to big men. They went to school from here.

"Danny was a child who always had a smile on his face. He never got into trouble or got angry.”

She said she did not know why he was at Cross Crossing on that fatal morning, “but God knows best.”