[UPDATED] Whim man shot dead in Mt Grace, Tobago

A 32-year-old man was gunned down in Mt Grace, Tobago, on May 18, pushing the island’s murder toll for the year to ten.

Dead is Samuel "Indian" Maharaj of Mt Zion, Whim.

Police said around 9 pm, residents reported hearing a loud explosion near to the Mt Grace Open Bible Church.

While combing the area, police found Maharaj’s motionless body in some bushes.

They later learned that Maharaj was being followed by two men who reportedly fired shots at him while he attempted to run away.

Maharaj was said to be unemployed.

Officers from the Tobago Homicide Bureau are investigating.

Maharaj’s killing occurred a day after THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine announced several measures to tackle the island’s worsening crime situation.

Those include a THA police force, which is expected to be a major feature of the Department of Safety, when it is formed, as well as the re-establishment of the Tobago Community Safety Programme. The latter will be one of the strategies to bridge the gap between districts, the police and the assembly in the fight against crime.

Augustine, at a news conference at the Division of Finance, Trade and the Economy on May 17, also said plans were well in train to install a scanner at the Scarborough port as a means of preventing the inflow of illegal guns into the island. He added the tender was out, and very soon the Port Authority of TT would decide on a broker.

Augustine, who is expected to meet with head of the Tobago Division ACP Collis Hazel on Monday, observed guns were the weapons of choice for committing murders in Tobago.

Responding to Saturday's murder, THA Minority Leader and Assemblyman for Darrel Spring/Whim Kelvon Morris said the time for talk was over.

“From where I sit, the time for talk is over and what is required are serious strategic measures to alleviate this crime scourge on the island. What we require is for the Chief Secretary now to take leadership. We have heard a lot of talk. We have heard a lot of promises,” he told Newsday in a WhatsApp voice note on Sunday.

Morris said Augustine’s plans to curb crime were not new.

“We got the promise of a public safety department since two years ago. We still waiting on that. We heard about the Tobago police unit before. We are sill waiting on that. So for me, we have heard a lot of talk.”

He said he met with Augustine some time ago to discuss crime and they did agree informally to meet again with other stakeholders across various sectors of the island “so that we can really outline serious measures to bring about a level of peace, a level of harmony in Tobago once again.”

In the meantime, Morris said, “What we require is for us to support the various security arms of the State and for us to get some serious actions going.”

He believes Tobago is too easy a target for the criminals.

“We not seeing the kind of actions that would make them know and understand that we will not welcome them here in Tobago. What we require now are actions to keep the criminals unsettled. We are seeing too many robberies now, not just the murders.

“Right in my village, Whim, right next door, opposite my parents’ home, they robbed the Play Whe booth right there and those things are unacceptable in such a small community. So we really require serious action. The time for talk is over and now. What is required is serious leadership from a serious leader.”

Progressive Democratic Patriots political leader Watson Duke, meanwhile, is expected to host a news conference on Monday at 11 am to discuss the crime situation. It will be held at the party’s headquarters, Port Mall, Scarborough.

This story was originally published with the title "Man shot dead in Mt Grace, Tobago" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A SHOOTING in Mt Grace, Tobago, on May 18, has pushed the island’s murder toll to ten for the year.

Dead is Samuel "Indian" Maharaj, 32, of Mt Zion, Whim.

Police said around 9 pm, residents reported hearing a gunshot near the Mt Grace Open Bible Church.

While combing the area, police found Maharaj’s body in some bushes.

They also learnt Maharaj was being pursued by two men who reportedly fired shots at him while he tried to run away.

Officers from the Tobago Homicide Bureau are investigating.

The killing occurred a day after THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine announced several measures to curb the island’s worsening crime situation.

These include a THA police force, which is expected to be a major feature of the Department of Safety when it is formed, as well as the re-establishment of the Tobago Community Safety Programme.