Diego Martin man dead in police-involved shooting

A DIEGO Martin man died in a police-involved shooting in the Western Division, a release from the police service said on April 14.

The release said officers of the West End criminal investigations department and the Western Division’s gang and intelligence unit and task force responded to a report of a robbery with aggravation in River Estate.

The release said four suspects were seen, two armed with guns, and when an attempt was made to arrest the four, one of the men pointed a gun in the officers’ direction causing them to discharge their service firearms in keeping with their use of force policy.

The police said one man was injured and taken to the St James health facility where he later died. He was identified as Derron Forde, 21.

A second suspect, 18, was held while two others escaped. A Glock pistol and magazine with 15 rounds of ammunition, two cell phones and a black bag were recovered from the scene. The incident took place during anti-crime exercises between April 12-13.

On April 13, construction worker Kerry Beard, 34, of Fatima Trace, Laventille, was shot and killed while working on a building at the corner of New and Henry Streets, Port of Spain, at about 5.20 pm.

A police report said Beard was approached by a lone assailant who pulled out a firearm and fired several shots. Beard fell on the road. Investigators said the assailant ran east along New Street towards the gas station and was seen entering a blue Hyundai Elantra which sped off along north Charlotte Street. In the Morvant district, police also reported at about 10.30 pm on April 13, that officers were on patrol when they received a report of a suspected homicide at Upper Sixth Avenue, Malick, Barataria.

When they got there, they found a man lying in the gallery area of a green concrete house. He had gunshot wounds to the head and upper torso. The man, later identified as Shadiq Yorke, 29, was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Crime scene investigators retrieved 14 spent shell casings, three projectiles and a bullet fragment on the scene.

Investigators were told at about 10.20 pm, Yorke was standing in the gallery area of his home while on his cell phone when several loud explosions were heard. He was found by family members with gunshot injuries.