[UPDATED] Three gunned down in Cunupia

THREE Diego Martin men, including a Coast Guard officer, were shot dead in Cunupia in what appeared to be a brazen daylight hit on July 14.

At around noon, Dave Lyons, 24, Jah-Marley Goddard, 23, and Earl Peters, 33, went into Rituals/Pizza Boys on the Southern Main Road and bought three chillers.

The trio returned to their car and were about to leave when a car slammed into their silver Subaru Impreza.

Two gunmen then got out of the car and shot the three multiple times with large-calibre rifles.

Several stray bullets shattered the front window of the restaurant as employees and customers threw themselves to the floor and hid behind the counter seeking cover.

Members of the police Special Evidence Recovery Unite found 37 high-calibre spent shells at the scene.

At a media briefing at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain on Sunday night, deputy commissioner of police responsible for intelligence and investigations, Suzette Martin, said the killings were gang-related.

Newsday understands Goddard from Sea Trace, was known to the police, as he was believed to have information about another killing.

Reports say Goddard appeared to be the main target and the other men were just collateral damage.

Lyons’s family was inconsolable at the scene, many of them in tears.

A male relative told the media Lyons, a coast guard officer, had celebrated his birthday hours before and was at the family’s home in Sea Trace, Diego Martin, helping with some ongoing construction when a car pulled up in front of the house.

The drive blew the horn several times and called out to Lyons, who went outside to speak with the men in the car.

The relative said Lyons then decided to leave with the men, and half hour later they heard he had been shot.

Employees at the Pizza Boys outlet were eventually allowed to leave, almost two hours after the incident, through the back of the building, away from media cameras and the prying eyes of onlookers gathered at the scene.

A senior Pizza Boys representative, Mustapha Ali, said the outlet would be closed for some time, as the employees were traumatised and would be given the opportunity to access psychological treatment.

He said thankfully, though, no one was hurt.

“(Bullets) shattered the front glass and went up to the ceiling. They went inside and people could have been killed, employees could have been killed.”

Asked about any change to security arrangements as a result of the shooting, Ali said he thought there was little more that could be done.

“This store is like a jail right now. This location was robbed a couple of times. So whenever you go inside, you will notice there's like a burglarproofing on the inside. There's an electronic door lock and we have security here right through from morning till night.”

He said the crime situation was “terrible” and called for more to be done.

“We need to get a handle on it and innocent people anywhere, in a mall or a supermarket, it’s not safe. Nowhere is safe in Trinidad.”

An employee at the nearby Hong Long Wholesale and Retail Supermarket said they also ran and hid when they heard the shots, which went on for almost a minute.

“Everybody is still shaken up and really frightened. All the employees, we ran to the back of the store and customers were scampering as well. We have one pregnant worker who is still scared.”

A man who runs a fruit stall said he had never witnessed anything like that in the area but was unfazed and reopened shortly afterwards.

“Crime is a normal thing right now. (Criminals) are just giving the area a bad name. You can't be safe anywhere in TT right now though, it's just the way everything is going.”

One resident who spoke to the media on the condition of anonymity, said she had been living in the community for more than two decades and this was the first time she had heard of anything like this happening there.

“I’m still shaking,” she said. “We have a crime watch group, but this is something else.”

She described the crime situation as “sad” and “frightful” and said nowhere was safe any more.

“It happening all over, nobody can say ‘This place safer than the next.’ It can happen at any time”

She added that she took the necessary precautions to keep herself safe.

“I stay inside. I know you get killed (inside your house) but I make sure I am secure. Once you have the Lord with you, he promised to protect us.”

As traffic was being diverted from the Southern Main Road to nearby streets, a senior officer said the attack took place despite increased patrols in the area.

He said police were now bracing for reprisal killings in the Western Division.

The murders brought the murder toll for the weekend to 14.

Speaking at Sunday's media briefing, Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher offered condolences to the families of those who died this weekend at the hands of criminals.

"In some of the incidents our investigators are following certain leads that we are hopeful will yield the desired result of an arrest and a conviction. I assure you the TTPS will do its very best for a breakthrough in these investigations."

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

THREE Diego Martin men, including a Coast Guard officer, were shot dead in Cunupia in what appeared to be a brazen daylight hit on July 14.

Dave Lyons, 24, Jah-Marley Goddard, 23, and another man who remains unidentified, were leaving Rituals/Pizza Boys on the Southern Main Road, when a car slammed into theirs.

Two gunmen then exited the car and shot the trio multiple times with large-calibre rifles.

Several stray bullets shattered the front glass of the restaurant as employees and patrons threw themselves to the floor and hid behind the counter seeking cover.

Newsday understands Lyons was a Coast Guard officer while Goddard was known to the police as he was believed to have information about another killing.

Reports say Goddard appeared to be the main target and the other men were just collateral damage.

Police are said to be bracing for reprisal killings as a result of the murder.