(Trinidad Express) Princes Town businessman Rakesh Gunness was defenceless when gunmen ambushed and killed him on the night of June 3.
While reversing his vehicle away from his family’s home and adjoining retail mini mart Quick-E Supermarket, on the corner of Joseph Cooper Trace and Moruga Road in Petite Café, two men with firearms took aim at him and fired multiple rounds.
Gunness, fondly called “Keron” by his family and close friends, was shot eight times.
The killers then turned their guns on his father who was looking on in shock from the garage gate.
As his family members ran to his aid, the killers ran off into a clump of teak trees and escaped, leaving his family members confused as to why a hit had been orchestrated against him.
Gunness died in his father’s arms while being taken to the Princes Town District Health Facility.
Detectives have yet to uncover the motive for the homicide.
Robbery has been ruled out as there was not even an attempt to steal anything from the premises, although the shop had been robbed several times in its 20 years of retail business.
One of his brothers was wounded and a customer grazed by a bullet in an attempted robbery at the business place in 2019.
At his funeral, held at his family’s home a week after his death, Gunness was remembered as a compassionate, generous, hard-working, and family-oriented man, whose love was unmatched.
The following was the eulogy from his family as read by a close friend:
“Rakesh, fondly called Keron, was born to Motilal and Chan Gunness on April 29, 1981.
He was the third of four beautiful children–Andy, Randy, Keron and Shirlini in that order.
As a young boy, Keron always had an admirable personality as he was kind, humble, generous and always liked being neat.
His favourite colours were green and orange. There were only three things that Keron disliked.
The three things were dishonesty, taking a rest, and nonsense.
Keron had big dreams.
He had dreams of being a millionaire, of owning a boat, a BMW, a helicopter and a beach house in Mayaro.
Such big dreams require big ambitions, and he was.
