Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday warned young people that it is a bad decision to engage in gun battles with officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF).
He was speaking with reporters at the launch of TT Agri Expo 2024 at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain. Rowley said he didn’t want to comment on that too much on the police shooting that left 6 dead, but the circumstances appeared that some bad choices were made.
He added, “I want to say to young people, don’t make the mistake of believing or letting anybody make you believe that you could shoot your way out of a situation with the police or the Defense Force. That is a bad decision.
“If you arm yourself or associate with people who arm themselves illegally and somehow believe that in an encounter with the police that you will prevail that is a mistake and it is a bad decision. Don’t do it. Don’t do that to your family. Don’t do that to your sisters. Don’t do that to this nation. Don’t make that decision.”
The Prime Minister added: “We have to protect the law-abiding. The police have been trained to shoot and they will shoot to kill if you threaten their lives. When you arm yourself with a weapon like a gun, it means that you have made a decision to use it. And it doesn’t make sense to think that the law enforcement officers will wait to see what you do and how you use it. So, you are putting yourself in harm’s way.”
Rowley said, as Prime Minister, “I want to appeal to young people making (such) decisions, don’t make that decision it could only end badly for you, for your family and for all of us.”
On August 14 the Trinidad police shot and killed six people, including one woman, in Freeport.
The police said those killed were allegedly involved in two home robberies in the Central area.
They said the five men and one woman, shot at them and in accordance with the Use of Force Policy, they returned fire, killing all six at the scene.
