(Trinidad Express) – The country’s murder toll increased by two on Wednesday afternoon, after two Laventille men were gunned down in Diego Martin.

Dead are Wendell Rogers, 27, of Beetham Gardens; and Joel Medina, 46, of Picton Road.

Police said around 1.30 pm, Rogers was driving a grey Mazda 323 car along Jean Avenue, Diego Martin, with Medina in the front passenger seat.

Another car drove up beside it and a gunman began firing. The car then sped off.

Both men were hit several times and Rogers’s car swerved off the road and crashed into a large metal gate, finally coming to a stop in the yard of a resident.

Both men died at the scene.

A team of officers, from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (HBI)-including detectives Sergeant Michael Veronique and Inspector Henry Dann-visited the scene and conducted enquiries.

Investigating officers said they had not established a clear motive for the killing.

The country’s murder toll stood at 427 for the year, up to Wednesday evening.

Investigations into the murders are continuing.