Moruga mourns as girl, 5, dad shot dead

HESPER Ali-Darsoo believes she will not get justice for the murders of her son Enrico Guerra and his five-year-old daughter Anika Guerra, who were shot dead at their St Mary’s Village, Moruga home on August 20.

Ali-Darsoo, a prominent community activist, cried and promised to leave justice to God, as she has no faith in the country’s justice system.

Police said Anika was at her father’s mini-mart, Enrico’s Corner Shop, having her hair combed by her mother, around 9.45 pm when three gunmen attacked her father, who was standing outside the shop.

Trying to escape his attackers, Enrico, 35, ran inside the shop for cover but one of the assailants followed him in, continuing to shoot at him.

Guerra’s mother dropped to the ground for cover but it was too late; the five-year-old was hit multiple times in her face, arm and lower back.

Her mother was shot in the right arm but was treated and discharged. Enrico died at the scene.

Anika was pronounced dead at 10.20 pm, minutes after she arrived at the Princes Town District Health Facility.

Investigators recovered 16 spent high-powered 5.56 rounds at the scene but are yet to determine a motive for the attack.

Ali-Darsoo told Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne she was at the hairdresser when she got the news of her son’s death.

She said they spoke several times during the day on Tuesday, as she was preparing to travel to Orlando on Wednesday morning to celebrate her wedding anniversary.

“He said, ‘Ma, check me before you go.’ I told him I was running late, but he insisted I check him before I go. The last stop I was supposed to make was by Rico.”

She said less than an hour after they last spoke, she was told he had been shot, but added she never imagined her granddaughter was also dead.

“I heard Rico was dead. When I came up the road, I saw my son on the ground, only to hear a few moments after that my granddaughter gone too.”

Ali-Darsoo said their deaths have hit her hard.

“I had my children young, and that kept me grounded. I had a child when I was 15 going on 16, I had my daughter at 17 and 16 years later, I had my next son and I never regretted that.

“Them children kept me focused and grounded. My children and my grandchildren are my life.”

She said Anika, who had a party to celebrate turning five last week, was very close to her father.

“Rico could be doing whatever and he say, ‘Anika,’ and she will forget everybody and she gone (with him). They did a great job with her. She loved her dad so much, like she gone with her dad too.

“Today I went and I watch my son and my granddaughter in one (body) bag; she was in her father’s arms.”

She said Anika was happy about her birthday party and was excited to start school in September.

“She asked me, ‘Granny, how I looking for my birthday? Come and see my outfit.’ I did the decorations for her party and she said ‘Granny, I love it.’

“She was topping her class and she was real good in her schoolwork.”

Ali-Darsoo said her pain over the loss of the duo is being shared with the community.

“Moruga heartbreak, Moruga mash up, Moruga shut down! But I can’t get back my child and I can’t get back my grandchild.”

She said she had little faith that justice would be served, saying justice in TT is “the worst ever.

“I had to go last night and sign to get my son out of that hospital and into a morgue.

“On my way home, I pass my son going down in a next van to join his daughter in that morgue. Tell me where is justice in this country.

“God have to deal with that, because he put me here.”

She lambasted the police, who she believes did not do enough to find the killers.

“I kept asking the officers, ‘My son dead and he can’t move. Two men on foot running with guns. Why you all not moving? Why you all not going somewhere? Do something! Move!’”

She said the country is “a mess” and more effort needs to be put into addressing crime.

“They studying to change Columbus and whatever nonsense. Deal with what we are dealing with right now.

“Families are crying. Families are falling apart. They are heartbroken. That is not a priority.

“Watch the condition of this country. Watch what we reach to. Is like life have no value. And let me tell you something: today for me, tomorrow for somebody else. Because you never know when it will hit your home.”

Police continued examining the scene for evidence on Wednesday morning as relatives gathered at the home. Enrico’s father, Andy, was inconsolable.

Although trying to do the needful in preparation for a wake and funeral, Andy had to be ushered to a seat by relatives several times as he was overcome with the grief of losing his eldest son and only grandchild.

He was unable to compose himself to speak with Newsday.

Other relatives declined to comment, instead deferring to Ali-Darsoo, who was at the Forensic Science Centre, St James at the time of the visit.

A family friend who did not want to give his name described Enrico as an upstanding young man who always went out of his way to help others.

He said he warned him several times about opening his mini-mart late at night, but Enrico would sometimes reopen the shop at 2 am to sell someone who needed something.

A friend of the family, former Moruga councillor Francis Paul, described the state of crime in the country as frightening.

“Imagine my pardner (Andy) crying this morning because he child dead and he grandchild dead. The criminals doing because they getting away with it. That’s why they doing it. They getting away with it. That’s the madness.”

Although not speculating on the motive for the killings, he said Moruga businesses were closing down because of extortion.

“It bad and if we know about it, how come the police don’t know about it?

“When you allow those things to happen, you allowing lawlessness to prevail.”

He called for the police to increase roadblocks in the area and ramp up joint patrols with police. He even argued for authorities to “kick down doors” if they had to.

“Let Trinidadians get a sense of relief, nah, man. We not feeling safe. It’s every day three and four people getting killed.”

His anger was shared by Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin, who condemned the authorities in a release for failing to address rampant crime, especially in rural areas.

“The current strategies are inadequate and are failing to protect our citizens.

“Our community deserves to be better. We deserve to feel safe in our homes, our businesses, and our streets.

“I call on both Minister (of National Security Fitzgerald) Hinds and (Minister in the ministry Keith) Scotland to take immediate and decisive action to address the rampant crime in Moruga/Tableland. We need more resources, more patrols, and a comprehensive plan to restore peace and safety to our beloved community.”

Anika was not the only child to suffer injury or death during a criminal attack this year.

A three-year-old boy was wounded in a Maturita shooting that claimed the lives of Dwayne Richardson, 34, and Latoya Voisin, 31, on July 13.

On February 22, Ezekiel Huggins, 11, was killed by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting in Laventille. Two days later, Nicholas Thomas, four, was shot in the hand in Diego Martin when his relative got into a disagreement with another man who then shot him.

In September 2023, 20-month-old Jose Nunez was outside the family’s Lootoo Street, El Socorro, when he was hit in the buttocks by a stray bullet.

Child and gender justice advocate Marcus Kissoon said these instances are evidence of how much society has disregarded the importance of children.

While these may be extreme examples of children’s well-being being ignored, he said there are other subtle ways in which the general societal disregard is also shown on an almost daily basis.

“It comes from the subtleties of simply ensuring that when children that are at a cross-walk we stop our cars, that bars and any illegal activities do not exist within school distance, that children who wear school uniforms could feel safe to walk into groceries and stores.

“Some taxi drivers and maxi taxi drivers aren’t stopping for children in school uniforms.”

Additionally, he said studies have shown that working-class children or children in impoverished communities are more likely to become victims of crime or have their well-being compromised.

This is why he believes the needs of children need to be at the forefront of policy-making.

This story was originally published with the title "Girl, 5, and father murdered in Moruga" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

FIVE-YEAR-OLD Anika Guerra and her father were murdered at their home at St Mary's Village, Moruga on the night of August 20.

Initial police reports said the girl's father, Enrico Guerra, 35, was standing outside his mini-mart when three gunmen attacked him.

Anika's mother told investigators she was inside combing Anika's hair around 9.45 pm when she saw her husband run into the house, followed by a gunman who was firing at him.

She said she dropped to the floor to take cover. Afterwards she found her husband dead on the floor and her daughter with gunshot wounds.

Anika was taken to the Princes Town District Health Facility, where Dr Antoine pronounced her dead at 10.20 pm.

Anika's and her father's bodies were taken for safekeeping pending an autopsy.

Investigators found 16 spent high-powered rifle rounds at the scene.

Investigations are ongoing. Police do not yet have a motive for the attack.

With reporting by Gregory McBurnie