Two men shot dead in T&T

(Trinidad Express) Two middle-aged men were shot dead in separate incidents between Friday night and yesterday morning, bringing the murder toll for the year so far to 86.

The first victim was Prizgar Road, Laventille, resident Anthony Balfour, 53.

Police said he and two friends had gone to a football match at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, on Friday, when they got into an argument with a man.

Around 10 p.m., the three men left the stadium, walked over to a car park outside the stadium and got into a Toyota car, when they were approached by the man with whom they had earlier argued.

He withdrew a pistol and fired 15 rounds at them, following which he ran off.

The stadium’s security personnel called the police and an ambulance, and the three men were taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital, where Balfour was pronounced dead on arrival.

The other two men were treated and discharged. Police are currently searching for the shooter.

The other murder took place in the Arouca area. The victim, Raymond Maxime, 60, lived at Manzanilla.

Around 5.30 a.m. yesterday, Maxime was plying his maxi-taxi along the Priority Bus Route, when one of his passengers stopped near Bacadaye Street, Arouca.

While walking out of the maxi-taxi, he withdrew a pistol from his waist, placed it to the back of the driver’s head and squeezed the trigger once.

Maxime was killed on the spot in front of shocked passengers.

Eyewitnesses said the killer calmly walked up a street and escaped.

Up to last night, no one could say why Maxime had been murdered.

Homicide Bureau officers are continuing investigations into both incidents.