[UPDATED] Young mechanic shot dead in Carenage

Raheem Velox was going down the wrong path – getting involved with gangs and engaging in criminal activity – until the day he shot himself in the groin.

That bullet changed his course leading him toward a career as a mechanic.

But his turnaround was cut short on March 22, when another bullet claimed his life. He was shot dead by a gunman on La Horquette Branch Road on March 22.

Richard Velox told Newsday about the bullet that changed his son's life at their home on Roxborough Street, Diego Martin.

“My son was a little menace. He got carried away with the wrong gang for a little while,” he said.

“After he shot himself, that is when he realised that it was not the way to go.

“He had a gun in his waist and he shot himself. The bullet went straight through his penis and exited through his leg.

“We were in hospitals and clinics for months. He told me: ‘Daddy, bullets don’t feel nice you know.’

“I laughed and told him: ‘You shot yourself, nobody didn’t shoot you.’ Even he started to laugh when I said that.”

Raheem was a student of East Mucurapo Secondary School until he had an altercation with a group of his peers. Then he moved to Servol where he learned straightening and painting.

He eventually got a job as a straightener, painter and mechanic at a garage in Carenage.

“I saw videos with him priming a bumper and back fender. He told me that he couldn’t mix the primer yet, but he was able to prime cars. I asked him who took that video for him and he told me it was his boss,” Velox said.

Raheem complained of ‘bad vibes’ before shooting

Velox said Raheem moved from Diego Martin to Carenage with his mother and stepfather, but came back a few weeks ago.

He said days before the shooting, Raheem complained of feeling “bad vibes.” Velox said this prompted him to start changing locks in the family home.

“Night before last night (March 21), he told me he wasn’t feeling good… he wasn’t feeling comfortable… he wasn’t feeling safe… so as a father, I decided to change the locks.

“He explained to me that he had a falling out with someone in Carenage.”

Velox said he borrowed a drill and bought locks to change.

On Saturday morning, Raheem asked him to smoke weed together and talk. During the sit-down, he again complained about not getting a good “vibe.”

“He said, ‘Daddy, I don’t feel I would be around long.’ I asked him what he was talking about. I told him stop talking nonsense.

“This morning when I went down to the main road, that was when I found out that my son was dead.

“Someone came up to me and offered condolences. I didn’t know what he was talking about.

“It was the third person that approached me and told me my son was dead. I was in shock.”

Police were told at about 8.45 pm on March 22, Raheem was parking a grey Hyundai Tuscon on La Horquette Branch Road, when a gunman dressed in a straw hat, black hoodie and three-quarter pants approached the car and shot him several times before running away on Fitzallen Street.

Police and emergency services were alerted and Western Division officers responded.

Police found Raheem’s lifeless body in the car. He was wearing a black jersey and multi-coloured three-quarter pants.

He appeared to be shot in the face and chest.

A District Medical Officer ordered his body removed pending an autopsy.

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

An 18-year-old man is dead after being shot in Carenage on March 22.

The dead man has been identified as Raheem Velox, an apprentice mechanic from Roxborough Street, Diego Martin.

Police were told Velox was parking a grey Hyundai Tuscon on La Horquette Branch Road when a gunman dressed in a straw hat, black hoodie and three-quarter pants came up to the car and started shooting at him.

The gunman escaping by running through Fitzallen Street.

Police and emergency services were alerted and Western Division officers responded.

Police found Velox’s lifeless body in the car. He was wearing a black jersey and multi-coloured three-quarter pants.

Police saw gunshot wounds to the left side of his body. He appeared to be shot in the face and chest.

The scene was cordoned off and processed. A District Medical Officer ordered his body removed pending an autopsy.