Nephew of former West Indies captain Brian Lara shot and killed

The Trinidad police are probing the death of the nephew of West Indies cricket legend, Brian Lara, who was gunned down in Santa Cruz, a valley that lies between the hills of the Northern Range in Trinidad.

Police said Mashama Lara, 33, a fisherman, had just arrived at his home on Thursday evening and parked his pickup on the roadway, when he was ambushed by two men who shot him before escaping in a waiting vehicle. He was declared dead at the hospital.

Police have no motive for the killing up to last night and acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob urged the public to provide intelligence to the authorities so they can act to prevent some of these killings before they occur.

McDonald acknowledged that there has been an upsurge in shootings and killings within the North Eastern Division in recent weeks, particularly in Santa Cruz and Barataria.

“What will help us build our intelligence, to help us truly identify what is happening and assist us in taking proactive measures, is to get information,” Jacob told the Trinidad Guardian newspaper.

“We need to get down and get the intelligence in order for this to work and prevent things from happening.”

Police are also investigating the murder of two men – Randy Amoroso, 38, and Clifford Riley, 32, on Thursday.

Police said Amoroso, also known as Crumpy and Movado, came out of prison a few months ago after serving a term for larceny. Police believe he was beaten to death.

In the case of Riley, police said he was shot multiple times.

CMC/