THE community of Corinth in Ste Madeleine was left reeling from gun violence after three men were shot to death at a residential property in the early hours of Monday, leaving relatives and neighbours grieving and police searching for clues to explain the deadly attack.
The triple homicide on Sixth Street, Third Extension has raised more questions than answers, as investigators are yet to determine who carried out the killings, how the shooter(s) entered and left the area, and what motivated the deadly attack.
The three men were among six killed in about 13 hours between Sunday evening and the early hours of Monday.
Of the six homicide victims, five were shot dead, and another was stabbed to death. (See page 7)
The bloodshed began on Sunday around 7 p.m. with the fatal stabbing in Fyzabad (South Western Police Division), continuing around 1.32 a.m. on Monday with the triple murder in Corinth (Southern Police Division), and ended at 8 a.m. on Monday with a double homicide in Penal (also in the South Western Police Division).
The triple homicide occurred at the home of 42-year-old Martin Harripersad, where two other men—Clariey Kinfu and Anthony Alibocas, also known as “Joe”—had reportedly been staying. Police were told that Kinfu, about 25 years old, was a relative, and Alibocas (age and address not known) was a friend. While Harripersad, a father of two, was among those killed, investigators believe he may not have been the intended target.
Initial police investigations suggest that one of the two men staying at Harripersad’s home may have been the person the gunmen sought out; however, investigators have not ruled out any possibilities about the target and the motive.
A police report stated that Harripersad’s 18-year-old son told police he was walking his dog around 1.23 a.m. when about 15 rounds of gunfire rang out in the community. Minutes later, he returned to his father’s house and as he entered the yard he saw his cousin, Kinfu, in a pool of blood near the front gate.
The son walked into the house and saw the body of his father on his bed, bleeding from what appeared to be gunshot injuries, and his father’s friend, Alibocas, in a pool of blood on the floor.
Ste Madeleine police, Homicide investigators of Region Three and other authorities spent several hours processing the scene and interviewing residents at the scene where the three men were killed.
When the Express visited the community on Monday, Harripersad’s relatives gathered near the crime scene, struggling to come to terms with the loss.
Harripersad’s brother, Mathew, said his brother was employed as a labourer with the San Fernando City Corporation and was maintaining a steady work life. He said the family is uncertain why the attack occurred and he did not believe his brother was deliberately targeted.
“My nephew went out when he heard the shots. He hid, and when he returned home, he realised it was at his home that the shots were fired. My nephew called the police. They shot my brother in his sleep. I see two bullet holes in a door, and blood on the ground,” he said.
He added, “My brother used to get in trouble in the past, but years now, since he had children, he had changed his life and was working. This is shocking to me. I picked him up on Friday to go to work. On Sunday, he went by our aunt and spoke with her.”
He pointed out, however, that his brother allowed people to stay at his house, despite their background.
Resume hangings
The brother said that the death penalty should be used to punish criminals. “The crime situation is bad. People are running all over, killing people. It is like nothing. And the police are not picking up these fellas? They are just walking in and walking out. The Government has to start back hanging people, and these fellas will think twice about killing. Otherwise, they sit in jail for a few years, and come back out and do the same thing,” he said.
Also at the crime scene was a resident, who did not give his name, but sat in front of the house grieving the loss of Harripersad, whom he called “a good soldier”.
“Today is my birthday and I just came from work, to check him, when I heard the news. He was like a brother to me. My brethren dying around me,” he said.
The six killings pushed the murder toll yesterday to 156 compared to 163 for the same period last year.
