Commissioner of Police, Erla Harewood Christopher has issued a statement following the police involved shooting of six young people in Freeport on Wednesday and she lamented the age of the deceased, with four of the victims being under the age of 25.
Police identified the persons as:
Jovan Simon, 31, of Diamond Village, Claxton Bay and Nelson Street, Perseverance, Couva,
Nicholas Caesar
Saleem John, 19, of Sum Hill, Claxton Bay
Kevon John, 23, of Sum Hill, Claxton Bay
Isaiah Olivierre, 21, of Maturita Marie Avenue, Arima
A 16-year-old female, of George Street, La Romaine
Top Cop said it reveals a “deeply troubling trend” where young persons under the age of 25 are the primary subjects in many police investigations.
She adds while the outcome of the exercise was tragic, she insists that the TTPS has to maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding home invasions.
There was also an assurance that the incident will be thoroughly investigated in accordance with standard operating procedures.
Regarding the incident itself, the TTPS statement recounted it as follows:
“Investigations revealed that around 6:30am on Wednesday 14th August, a 68-year-old man of Otis Lane Extension No 2, Balmain, Couva, was in the living room of his home when three men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, entered the premises and announced a robbery. The assailants then proceeded to ransack the victim’s home, where he was relieved of his wallet containing his identification cards, bank cards, $500 cash and a quantity of jewellery. The assailants then escaped on foot by running in an easterly direction along Otis Lane Extension. At approximately 11:35 am, following intelligence received, officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Couva and the Central Division Task Force (CDTF) proceeded to a location at Razack Trace, Freeport. Upon arrival at the premises, the officers identified a Toyota Aqua, reportedly linked to the recent robbery. The officers were met with gunfire and returned fire in response. As a result, six individuals—five males and one female—sustained injuries and were transported to the Couva Health Facility, where they were pronounced dead. Police recovered items belonging to the robbery victim at the scene, along with three firearms.”