Senior Reporter
A routine trip by parents to drop off their son at his daycare turned deadly yesterday morning, after gunmen intercepted their car and ambushed them in Belmont.
Anthony “Monster” Wilson, 28, and Aquil “Fats” Kafi, 30, died along Upper St Francois Valley Road after the attack around 8.35 am.
Kafi’s 23-month-old son, Akini, later succumbed to his injuries at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH), while his mother, Antonia Cain-Kafi, 36, remained warded in a critical condition last night.
Kafi and his family lived at Serraneau Road, Belmont, while Wilson lived at Chinatown, Upper St Francois Valley Road, Belmont.
Kafi lost his teenage son Zion Roberts, 14, in July 2025, following a shooting at Serraneau Road, Belmont.
Police reports indicate the four were in a silver Toyota Aqua heading along Upper St Francois Valley Road, on their way to drop Akini at daycare, when a car blocked them and two gunmen got out and opened fire.
Aquil Kafi and Wilson got out of the car and started running downhill. However, the shooters pursued and fired more shots at them. They later escaped in their waiting vehicle.
Although injured, Akini’s mother scooped up her bleeding son and also ran downhill, begging and screaming for help. The two were picked up by a resident who rushed them to the PoSGH.
Forensic evidence collected at the scene included 37 spent shell casings of various calibre.
As news of the deadly attack began circulating via social media, mounting calls by the public for a curfew were shut down by senior police officials.
Addressing reporters at the scene in Belmont, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Operations, Suzette Martin said the T&T Police Service (TTPS) had no authority to implement a curfew, as that resided with Government.
Calling for calm to prevail following the triple murder, she said, “This is not just a police issue. This is a T&T issue, where we all have to come together to make the country a safer place.”
Declaring it required a “holistic approach” with the public working with the authorities, she appealed, “If you see something, say something.”
Extending condolences to the relatives of the deceased, Martin said the TTPS had intensified operational activity within Belmont and surrounding areas.
“This is an extremely tragic and deeply disturbing incident which has shaken not only the Belmont community, but the entire country. The murder of innocent citizens, including a child, is unacceptable and will be met with an aggressive and coordinated law enforcement response.”
She repeated the call for help from the public.
“We are appealing to members of the public to work with the police by sharing any information, CCTV footage, dashcam recordings or other evidence which may assist investigators.”
Acknowledging the fear and anger the brazen daytime shooting had triggered among residents in the community and wider public, Martin urged persons to “remain calm.”
Reminding that the country remained under a State of Emergency (SoE), she advised citizens not to take the law into their own hands, as one man had earlier said these incidents were, “forcing good people to turn bad.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Crime, Richard Smith admitted the TTPS was very concerned about the alarming trend in recent homicides in the Port-of-Spain Division, which he described as a “blatant disrespect for human life.”
Echoing similar sentiments as Martin, he assured, “We are working assiduously to bring the murders under control, and yes, we cannot be omnipresent but we have our patrols working on a 24-hour basis, trying to keep the peace in these areas.”
Residents fed up
Standing at their water-filled buckets and brooms, ready to wash down the blood of the dead men before it stained the road, residents wept as they broke down—watching intently as police scooped up shell casings and combed through the bullet-riddled car.
“It is overbearing now and we are fed up with it. Every murder is classified as gang-related and that is not true,” one woman cried.
Others wept openly, as another said, “Everybody holding a press conference to say last year, we had 110 murders and this year we have 100, so we are doing a great job because ten people ain’t get killed. This is not it and this cannot be the sweet T&T everybody want to put all over the world.”
The group of both young and senior women agreed, saying, “The police and Government keep saying is only a handful of criminals doing the crime, but they can’t hold none, they can’t put a dent in the crime.”
Emotionally drained, a third said, “So, the criminals ruling society and we living in fear every day because you cyar even come on the corner and stand up on a morning to take a taxi to go to work or drop your child to school. Just now we will hadda limit the travelling.”
She added, “We cannot live under an SoE forever and ever. Since this Government come in, is only SoE, SoE, SoE. It is not the solution. So far, since they come in, we have been under an SoE. This cannot be their crime plan.”
One man who came to check on his relatives living close by said, “This is real bad and you does never hear anyone being held accountable for it.”
Referring to the murder of Cpl Anuska Eversley and the theft of a cache of firearms and ammunition from the San Fernando Municipal Police Station at King’s Wharf last month, he asked, “As a citizen of the country, who do we trust?”
Revealing he had been forced to move his wife and children out of the area due to the crime situation, he said, “It start from the top.”
He added, “Some of these fellas was just trying to protect themselves, protect the area and protect they family…and get caught up in the system.”
“That’s how it really started and why it really started was corruption at the top…everybody know that.”
We are not the drug lords. We are not the criminals. The criminals and them in suit. They are politicians. They are commissioners.”
