(Trinidad Express) It was no ordinary day for reporters yesterday as gunmen in the Beverly Hills area opened fire while CCN TV6 and the Sunday Express media crews were interviewing the relatives of a woman killed in the area.
The drama began just around 4 p.m. while this reporter, photographer Anisto Alves, TV6 reporter Jabari Fraser and cameraman Kerry Patrick were interviewing Judith Boyce, the friend of murdered mother of eight Alma Noray.
During the interview, at the Beverly Hills Housing Development Corporation (HDC), at Marcano Quarry Laventille, a man was observed on the other side of the hill looking across and gesticulating.
Seconds later seven shots were heard coming form the area.
Everyone in sight scampered for safety.
The TV6 team ran to their car.
Alves followed while I, like other residents, hid behind a wall, listening and waiting.
A few seconds later more shots were heard. This time I ran, and went into the TV6 vehicle and telephoned ASP Ajith Persad.
While on the telephone with the head of the Port of Spain Division two men were seen shooting back in the direction from where the gunshots came.
As we awaited officers of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), who arrived, within five minutes of the telephone call, residents of the area were seen laughing at the media crew.
Some said: “You see how it is up here,” while others commented that such random gun slinging was the “norm”.
One lady who was promised an interview about the lack of facilities in the area asked if we would come and tell her story.
Earlier in the day, a senior photographer at Newsday Azlan Mohammed also scampered for safety along with neighbours when an unidentified man shouted that he would kill everyone in Beverly Hills.
In a brief telephone interview with the Sunday Express Mohammed said he was taking photos of Noray’s two grandchildren when the threats were made.
The threat was taken seriously since just about 15 minutes earlier another Marcano Quarry, Laventille man, Joel Bodkin, was shot and killed while at a parlour at Straker Village Laventille.
Bodkin lived a stone’s throw away from Noray.
