TTPS bullet casings at murder scene – Venezuelan man shot dead

HOMICIDE Bureau of Investigations (HBI) officers used Google technology to decipher the details surrounding the murder of a Venezuelan national who was killed in South Oropouche on Wednesday night.

Several spent bullet shells, with the markings "TTPS," were recovered at the murder scene.

At first, police were baffled by the circumstances surrounding the death of Daniel Gonzales as a female relative who is also a Venezuelan national, speaks no English.

Interviewed via the Google Translate app, she was able to tell police that at around 10 pm on Wednesday, she was with Gonzales and another tenant, at their apartment home, on the second floor of an apartment building at Pond Road, Aripero Village, South Oropouche.

She said two men, who both appeared to be of Spanish ethnicity and who were both armed, entered the apartment through the front door on the southern side of the building.

The intruders called out Daniel by name and proceeded to tie-up the other man whom they carried to another room in the apartment. The two began beating Gonzales while asking repeatedly – "donde esta el oro?" – where is the gold?

Gonzales was subsequently hog-tied and then shot him repeatedly in the head.

Before leaving the scene on foot, the killers took a quantity of clothing, a Samsung I 10 phone belonging to Barrera and the female relative's Nokia 2.4 cellphone.

Another tenant, who heard the shots, hid and called the police.

Constables Patrice, Joseph and Rampersad from the Oropouche Police Station, who were on mobile patrol, responded and found Gonzales dead, lying on his back in the living-room of the apartment.

A strip of blue cloth was tied around his right hand and neck. Both feet were bound with a strip of white cloth. There were gunshot wounds to the head as well as a gaping chop to the man's neck.

The first responders secured the scene. Crime scene investigators later found and seized three 9mm calibre spent shells all with the markings "TTPS," six spent 7.35 mm casings and a cutlass.

DMO Dr Ratiram later ordered Gonzales' body removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for autopsy. Detectives from the HBI (Region III) are continuing enquiries. Up to press time, no arrests were made.