[UPDATED] Murder victim’s brother gunned down in Penal

THE brother of a 2014 murder victim was gunned down in Penal on December 24 shortly after leaving a house where he was gambling with a group of people.

Salesman Keanu Chandler, 33, died on the road at Bajnath Street shortly after 6 am. The father of three lived at Penal Rock Road, Aquart Village.

Gunshots were heard, and Penal police were notified. Police said Chandler was playing the card game, wappy, earlier with a group of people.

W/Sgt Paul and PCs Ramdass and Ramoutar were among the first responders. They found the body with multiple gunshot wounds on the road.

The Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region Three, also visited and gathered evidence. The investigators recovered several 5.56 spent shells.

In January 2014, Chandler's only sibling, Sean Jaikaran, 29, was shot and killed.

Jaikaran's bullet-riddled body was found at the Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) Recreation Ground in Claxton Bay.

The main suspect was subsequently killed by police in the Central Division.

Two years later, in January 2016, the family suffered a double tragedy when his mother, Dinnse Jaikaran, 51, and her brother, Junior "Gang-gay" Jaikaran, 49, died within minutes of each other.

Dinnse was at the family's home at Penal Rock Road and was told that her brother had just collapsed and died of a heart attack.

She began screaming and ran out of the house. However, she collapsed a short distance away, dying also of a heart attack.

When Newsday returned to the family's home hours after the latest tragedy, Dinnse's grieving sister, Deandra Cedeno, said another of their brothers, Andy Jaikaran, died almost six months ago from a heart attack, and the family was already in deep mourning.

He earned a living by buying brand-name clothing and reselling them to businesses.

Hours before Christmas Day, Cedeno said, "Christmas is done. We are not having Christmas this year. Up to last night, we were chatting about wearing matching pajamas on Christmas morning. Yesterday, I went for Andy's children in Chaguanas for them to spend some time with us here."

On the brink of tears, she added Chandler was still trying to cope with the deaths.

"Keanu and his mother were very close. He always said if anything happens to him, he wanted to be buried in her grave," Cedeno said.

She said the family had no idea why he was killed.

Investigations are ongoing.

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

The brother of a 2014 murder victim was gunned down in Penal on December 24, shortly after leaving a house where he was gambling with a group of people.

Salesman Keanu Chandler, 33, died on the road at Bajnath Street shortly after 6 am. The father of three lived at Penal Rock Road, Aquart Village.

Gunshots were heard, and Penal police were notified. Police said Chandler was playing the card game, wappy, earlier with a group of people.

W/Sgt Paul and PCs Ramdass and Ramoutar were among the first responders. They found the body with multiple gunshot wounds on the road. The Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region Three, also visited and gathered evidence. The investigators recovered several 5.56 spent shells.

In January 2014, Chandler's only sibling, Sean Jaikaran, 29, was shot and killed. Jaikaran’s bullet-riddled body was found at the Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) Recreation Ground in Claxton Bay.

The main suspect was subsequently killed by police in the Central Division.