Cops shut down Carnival in St James after shooting

DESPITE heightened visible policing and joint operations with the army aimed at ensuring a safer Carnival, celebrations in St James on March 4 were marred by violence as one man was shot dead and three others were wounded.

Within minutes of the shooting, police cordoned off the street, stopping bands from using the route. But up to several hours after the shooting, spectators remained in the road liming.

Newsday was told Irvin Joaquim Mayora was standing near Universal Bar in St James around 5 pm when an armed man approached him from behind and fired multiple shots.

Mayora was shot twice in the back. The killer then walked off into the crowd. Police reportedly held the shooter about an hour after the incident.

Newsday was able to confirm that three other people – Aaron John from Bournes Road, 65-year-old John Leonce from Diego Martin and another woman whose name relatives did not want to divulge – were wounded.

The four were taken to the St James Infirmary.

John was shot in the back of the head. Relatives were told that the bullet was still lodged in his head while at the infirmary. Up to press time he was expected to be taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital.

Leonce and the unnamed woman were shot in their legs.

A female relative of Mayora had to be comforted by police when she heard of his death at the infirmary.

Minutes before she was told he died, she was overheard speaking on the phone saying that he had been shot. But, she said, she was still clinging to hope because he was still moving when emergency services took him to the infirmary. On learning of Mayora’s death, the woman fell to the floor screaming: “Oh no love, don’t do this to me, you are strong.

“Oh my life, my love, don’t leave me alone.”

Leonce’s relatives said they were shocked to hear that he had been wounded.

“He was of two minds to come down the road,” said one of his relatives.

“I went to lie down and when I got up he was already gone.”

“He just came out to celebrate,” said another.

Limers were angry over the shooting, saying that many more people could have been hurt.

“I heard the bullet ricochetted and hit about five people,” one limer said. “There are children around. What if he it one of them? How would he explain that to a parent?”

Another said they were liming near the spot where the shooting happened.

“I had to run and tell security what had happened. He just opened fire, stuck the gun in his pants and walked off like it was nothing.”

Newsday called and sent messages to acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) Junior Benjamin but got no response up to press time.

Calls to the Minister of National Security went to voicemail.

Earlier in the day, Minister Hinds, speaking with the media during a walkabout in downtown Port of Spain, praised the safety measures, noting that the state of emergency (SoE) and increased police presence had fostered a safer environment.

Hinds expressed pride in the police’s efforts to ensure a peaceful Carnival and commended Benjamin for his work.

At the end of February 2025, there had been 59 recorded murders, a decrease from 86 during the same period in 2024.

Benjamin acknowledged the decline but stressed police were not satisfied and would continue working to further reduce crime.

On March 3, Gold Commander ACP Richard Smith reported that J’Ouvert in Port of Spain had been incident-free, with no criminal activities.

Snr Supt Mervyn Edwards of the North Eastern Division also confirmed no unusual incidents in his area.

In Vistabella on March 3, an altercation between two men, believed to be in a relationship, resulted in the fatal stabbing of 64-year-old Lennox Williams.

On February 25, five days before Carnival, Benjamin addressed the media and reassured the public of the police service’s commitment to public safety.

Smith also discussed Carnival preparations at that briefing and sought to assure the public of heightened police presence in key areas such as Port of Spain, South Trinidad, and North Trinidad.