Brothers gunned down in T&T

(Trinidad Guardian) Residents of St Rose and Belgrade Streets in Laventille on Monday lamented how their serene neighbourhood had been shattered by a double murder, after two men were killed in a vehicle parked in the area.

The residents stood near the crime scene chatting with each other and recalled that the last time someone was killed in their area was some two years ago.

According to police, around 5.45 pm residents heard gunshots and when they looked outside they saw a blue Mazda 323 car parked along the road, with two men dead in the front seats. The men were subsequently identified as brothers Ken and Keston Ramlal from La Brea.

The killing of the two men, and that of another man early yesterday, pushed the murder toll to 134 for the year, compared to 122 for the same period last year.

In the earlier incident, Diego Martin resident Kadeem Richardson was pronounced dead on arrival at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital around 9 am, after he was shot in an abandoned lot between Duncan and Nelson Streets.

Police said residents at the Duncan Street Plannings reported hearing gunshots around 8.50 am. When police arrived they found the bleeding 19-year-old and took him to hospital where he died.

Police said while investigations are still ongoing, from their information, Richardson, of Factory Road, Diego Martin, may have been visiting a female companion and was killed because he was “an outsider”.

In an unrelated killing, relatives of Denzil Eccles 39, who was killed on Saturday night in St James, said they had been warning him about his “colourful life” but Eccles never listened.

Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday, relatives, who did not want to be identified, said Eccles was no saint, but he was a “sweetbread” who was well liked and a private person.

Relatives added that Eccles was shot at Jeffers Lane, St James, near the St James Medical Complex, but when they went there for assistance they were told the shift was changing and no one could assist at the time.

Before help could arrive, Eccles had already died.

Police said the shooting took place around 7 pm after a gunman approached Eccles and opened fire.

Police believe the killing is gang related.