Relatives of man killed by police: He was farming on brother-in-law's land

Relatives of Russell Hudson, 38, one of two men whom police shot dead on Thursday in Guayaguayare, say he was a hard-working budding farmer and family man.

Before he was shot, they said, he had gone to his wife's brother's land to do agricultural work and "stay out of trouble."

Hudson and Nickolas Findley were killed before dawn on August 1.

Police said around 2 am, officers from the Mayaro police station went to La Brea Village after receiving information.

On reaching a wooden shed off a dirt track, they reportedly identified themselves and were shot at. They returned fire, killing the two men.

The police said they found a shotgun near the bodies.

A district medical officer later viewed the bodies and ordered them removed for autopsies.

Speaking to the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Friday, the relatives, who did not want to be named, were upset over the incident.

A male relative said the land belonged to Hudson's wife's brother, and Hudson and Findley had gone there to do agricultural work.

But, he added, "Apparently it had a land dispute going on up there and the people called the police and told them that it had strange men up there with firearms.

"The police went about one in the morning and killed these men."

The male relative said he went to the shed and saw blood near the bed where the men had slept.

"They were killed. It looked like they were killed while they were sleeping. All the blood was close to the bed.

"Police saying they were greeted with gunfire and they found a shotgun, but that is not true."

Asked if they planned to go to the Police Complaints Authority, they collectively said yes.

The male relative, now irate, asked rhetorically, "When police do these kinds of things in TT, do they ever face consequences?

"No!"

A female relative said Hudson did not have any children but was working on building a house and trying to start up as a farmer.

"He was into cucumbers and pumpkin. He was growing some produce in order to help boost the agricultural economy in Trinidad and Tobago.

"Is this what farmers have to face in TT?"

Police said investigations are ongoing.

With reporting by Kristen Le-Chelle Winchester