Bandit shot dead by intended victim in downtown Port of Spain

POLICE are investigating an incident in which an unidentified man was shot dead near the Belmont taxi stand at the corner of Queen and Charlotte Streets in Port of Spain on the afternoon of January 27.

Police said around 1 pm on January 27, three men tried to rob a businessman on Charlotte Street.

The businessman, who has a licensed firearm, pulled it out  and shot one of the bandits in the head, while the other two ran off.

A senior officer in the Port of Spain Division said he heard the incident was an attempted robbery, and if investigations point in this direction, the man's death would not be classified as a murder.

The attempted robbery-turned-fatal-shooting happened in broad daylight in the midst of the ongoing state of emergency.

Newsday visited Queen and Charlotte Streets, where the body remained for over an hour before being removed.

Police cordoned off Charlotte Street (south of Prince Street) and Queen Street (west of George Street) to traffic. Nearby businesses were closed for the day moments after the shooting.

Several eyewitnesses spoke to Newsday on condition of anonymity.

One woman said on hearing the gunshots, she quickly sought cover.

"Meen look back, meen look around. I just keep my head straight and walked into the next store I see."

Another person said he saw vendors ducking for cover behind their stalls, while others ran and ducked behind cars.

One woman said, "And they like people thing? That is what they does get. That is what they should get. These youths don't like to work hard for nothing."

Other people who claimed to have seen the incident said they saw police who were nearby later chase  the two fleeing bandits. However, Newsday was told the two remained at large.

The man's body was removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James where an autopsy will be done when he has been identified.

(Additional reporting by Gregory Mc Burnie)