[UPDATED] Aunt of Aripero murder victim: He was a changed man

ALTHOUGH he was trying to turn his life around, Keith Branker, 32, was ambushed and killed by gunmen while on a job site in Aripero on Tuesday.

Now, his aunt is urging young people to stay away from bad company.

Speaking with reporters at the Silver Stream Road construction site where Branker was killed, Joellen Frederick admitted her nephew fell in with bad company when he was around 18 years old and was even facing charges.

But she said the father of five from Sobo Village, La Brea, had turned his life around over a year ago and was desperately trying to be a better man and mentor to the youth in his life.

"Everybody has a past. He had a past and he would have changed it. He would have changed his life and surrendered to God. He would have been baptised and go to church every Sunday in Point Fortin Revival Church. He changed around the whole thing and was even mentoring younger people, speaking to them, telling them to stay away from drugs."

"Even for Carnival, I say don't go nowhere and he say, 'But aunt, you forget I changed my life? That don't bother me again.'"

Branker worked with the Siparia Borough Corporation since 2018 as a casual worker. He was recently given a regular position and had just completed his first fortnight, Frederick said.

She said he was focused on building a house for his children, aged from five to ten years old.

She said she did not know of any threat to Branker's life.

With over 80 per cent of murders in Trinidad and Tobago being carried out by shootings, Frederick described the scourge of gun violence in the country as overbearing.

"When it reach home, it hurts the most. You know you watching TV, you listening and you empathising and you sympathising with the families but now it reach to our doorstep and I could tell you, I wouldn't wish this on my enemy. I couldn't drive to reach here to actually see. This is kinda surreal to me. I cannot believe."

With Branker losing his life in what police believe was a targeted attack, she asked young people to be mindful of the company they keep.

"Don't get into (bad company) in the first place. Do what he tried to do here in the last of his life. Work hard. Because the sentiment shared within the workers, he worked hard. He never run from work. Look for an honest day work for an honest day pay."

A witness, whose name will not be published, told Newsday February 27 was the first day they began working on a drainage project and around 8.15 am, two masked gunmen dressed in "police colours" ambushed and killed Branker.

The witness said Branker was taking a break from digging the drain in front of a house under construction when two men with black t-shirts wrapped around their heads exited some bushes and approached Branker.

"I just see two men with two rust-colour-looking gun and with that they, we was like police boy? We don't know. It looking weird. When you watch their head is tie up jersey thing and that what make me say, nah boy is something else...with that...bang, the first shot and he (Branker) take off on the side (of the house)."

"They fire about one or two here (by the drain) and they take off (the workers) with a speed. Run in the house, run back out, run on the side. That man real run for he life. I being real with you...I swear he get away cause I see the gunmen them leaving through the back."

After the assailants fled, the witness said he and the foreman looked for Branker but when they found him at the back of the house, they realised he was not as lucky as they first thought.

"As I reach round the house, I say boy you good? He was still alive. Dawg yuh good owa? But you done know, is head shot."

The witness said if the men did not closely resemble police, they would have known sooner that something was wrong.

"We was taking off one time. Cause we know that men in that kinda clothes is gunmen. The way they come, long pants, jersey, looking like they matching nah."

Relating the incident to onlookers, the witness said he recalled Branker saying, "What I do allyuh boy?" during the ordeal.

Police have not yet established a motive for the attack.

Neighbours, who wished to remain anonymous, told Newsday they heard the gunshots and ran for cover. They said they are now living in fear as this is the second murder to occur in the quiet street in around five years.

The first, they said, was a villager they only knew as Stone, who was killed further a short distance away.

The witness was also overheard expressing dissatisfaction, telling onlookers that as workers employed by the state, there should be periodic police presence during projects.

However, Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayhroo said this was impractical with a municipal police force that's 26-strong.

"I don't think it's possible because if you have 20 or 30 teams, you cannot put 60 police officers to look at 20 to 30 teams outside there. We don't foresee any challenges with respect to criminal activity while work is going on," Mayhroo said.

He offered condolences to Branker's family on behalf of the Borough Corporation and the council. The mayor also expressed concern that crime has escalated to the point where a worker can be gunned down in broad daylight on a job site.

This story was originally published with the title "Siparia corporation worker killed by gunmen dressed like police" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Keith Branker, 32, a Sobo Village, La Brea resident who worked for the Siparia City Corporation, was killed by two masked gunmen dressed in police colours, according to a witness.

The witness, a co-worker who asked to not be named, told Newsday around 8.15 am Branker was at work on Silver Stream Road, Aripero, on the first day of a drainage project when he was ambushed.

The co-worker said two men, dressed in police colours and black T-shirts wrapped around their heads, came out of the bushes. The gunmen approached Branker while he was taking a break from digging a drain in front of a house under construction.

"I just see two men with two rust-colour-looking gun and with that, we was like ‘Police, boy?’ We don't know. It looking weird.

“When you watch their head is tie-up jersey thing and that (is) what make me say, ‘Nah, boy, (it) is something else…’

“With that – bang! The first shot and he (Branker) take off on the side (of the house).”

"They fire about one or two here and they (the workers) take off with a speed, run in the house, run back out, run on the side…That man real run for he life. I being real with you, I swear he get away cause I see the gunmen them leaving through the back."

After the assailants fled, the witness said he and the foreman looked for Branker but on finding him at the back of the house, realised he had been shot.

"As I reach round the house, I say ‘Boy, you good?’ He was still alive. (I asked) ‘Dawg, yuh good or what?’ But you done know, is headshot."

"It had a junk of blood on he eye. He was just gasping, gasping a little bit with a little small froth (around his mouth)."

The witness said if the men did not look like the police, they would have known sooner that something was wrong.

"We was taking off one time cause we know that men in that kind of clothes is gunmen. The way they come, long pants, jersey, looking like they matching, nah."

Relating the incident to onlookers, the witness said he recalled Branker saying, ‘What I do allyuh, boy?’ during the ordeal.

Neighbours, who wished to remain anonymous, told Newsday they heard the loud explosions and ran for cover. They said they are now afraid as this is the second murder to occur in the quiet street in around five years. The first, they said, was a villager they only knew as Stone, who was killed up the street from where Branker was killed.