Three overnight murders take murder toll to 100

THREE overnight killings have pushed the country’s murder toll to 100 in just 95 days, despite being under a state of emergency (SoE).

In the first incident, an unidentified man was found at the side of the road in Wallerfield on April 4 with a gunshot wound to his head.

Police said around 4 am, they went to Hamilton Siding, where they found the body of the man.

Investigations said people in the community heard gunshots around 12.52 am on April 4. Before daybreak, a passerby saw the man's body at the side of the road and contacted the police.

Police said the man was of East Indian descent, skinny, and brown in complexion. The man had a low haircut, a short beard, and appeared to be in his 30s.

In the second incident, a 48-year-old Marabella man was killed and another was wounded.

The dead man was identified as Curban James, also known as "Ban."

Police said around 11.15 pm, they received a report of a shooting at West Bay Shore.

They responded and found James lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his head.

Police investigations revealed that James was charged with murder in 2018 and was released from prison in September 2022.

They believe an altercation was the motive for his death. Around 10.30 pm, James was in a fight opposite the basketball court with another person from the community.

Around 11 pm, the wounded man was at a mini-mart near the basketball court when three masked men in dark clothing came out from a track and gunshots were heard. The men then ran off. James died at the scene.

The wounded man was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital, where he was treated for gunshot wounds to his abdomen and a finger.

Police found 15 spent shell casings, two live 9mm rounds and a black pistol magazine with 14 live 9mm rounds at the crime scene.

In a separate incident, Josiah Joseph, 21, also known as "Pennie" was also gunned down on April 4.

Police said around 8.50 pm they received a report of gunshots at Well Road in Siparia.

They found Joseph lying on the porch. Emergency Health Services also responded and found that Joseph was still alive. He was taken to the Siparia Health Facility but he died on arrival around 9.25 pm.

Police found 12 spent shell casings and three projectiles at the scene.

Police said Joseph was well-known to them. They have not determined a motive for his murder.

Police said investigations are ongoing into all three murders.

The murder toll at the same date last year stood at 143.