Former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Stuart Young, has called for the resignations of two senior government ministers following the murders of three people, including a two-year-old child, on Thursday in Morvant, on the outskirts of the capital.
The incident followed a similar pattern last month, when three other people, including an eight-year-old child, J’layna Armstrong, were also gunned down in Morvant in a drive-by shooting.
Police say they cannot yet link the murders of Anthony Wilson, Akil Kafi, and his two-year-old son, Akinni, to the April 20 killings.
“I am angry, disturbed and saddened by yet another mass shooting and the murder of three people including an innocent two-year-old child in Belmont… this horrific crime was carried out in broad daylight,” Young, the parliamentary representative for the area, wrote on his Facebook page. “It is clear that the Kamla Persad Bissessar government has NO CRIME PLAN apart from states of emergency which we have said cannot be a crime plan.”
Deputy Police Commissioner Suzette Martin, speaking to reporters at the scene, described the killings as a “tragic and senseless act of violence,” adding that four people, including the child’s mother, were shot, resulting in “three persons succumbing to their injuries, including a child.”
“One victim is hospitalised and needs medical attention. The incident has caused fear in the community and of course the country, but we want to assure citizens that they can come and share any information they can with the police,” she said.
Martin added that police have deployed operational teams on the ground and are continuing investigations.
“At this time, we are at a sensitive part of investigations, so we will not be able to share much with you, but as investigations develop, we will be able to share,” she said, adding that authorities are “managing” the situation amid a state of emergency.
She also urged citizens “not to take it all into their own hands, but to report all incidents to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.”
Young has called for the “immediate resignations” of Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge and Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander, saying “the situation is intolerable and no amount of hollow and moronic rants by the government are going to give law-abiding citizens any comfort or assurance.”
He also criticized a junior government minister, whom he did not name, alleging the official had “gone on a racist rant” about his constituents in Belmont, adding that it was “adding insult to the pain that citizens are already feeling with the loss of life.”
Young extended condolences to the families of the victims, including two-year-old Akinni, and urged unity and faith amid the tragedy.
“I once again offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of two-year-old Akinni and others who lost their lives in this horrific tragedy,” he wrote. “To my constituents and the wider population I say ignore the crass and heartless racist comments of the government and I pray that God intervenes and may He bless our lands of Trinidad and Tobago.”
