Relatives of murdered Longdenville siblings believe 56-year-old Margarita Clarke was innocently killed when a gunman opened fire on her brother, Brian Clarke, on Thursday night.
The brother and sister were at their home at Longdenville Old Road, Chaguanas, when a masked gunman walked into their home and shot them several times.
The incident happened around 8 p.m.
WHERE THEY DIED: Kenneth Clarke, brother of slain siblings Brian and Margarita Clarke, shows the living room area where his brother and sister were killed by a lone gunman on Thursday night in Longdenville. —Photo: DEXTER PHILIP
In an interview with the Express yesterday, elder brother Kenneth Clarke, 75, said the family believes Margarita’s death was “collateral damage” and that Brian was the intended target.
Kenneth explained that their compound, which has several apartments, is occupied by six siblings and their families.
Margarita and her two children, ages 30 and 20, lived in an apartment at the front of the ground floor while 53-year-old Brian occupied the front apartment on the top floor.
He said on Thursday night, Margarita was liming with two friends at home, when the attacker ran into the property.
“(Margarita) was going for something for one of her friends from inside, and in going, this gunman ran in and shot her. Although she put up her hand, she got shot in her chest, and he continued running and going after what he came for. He went upstairs and he shot my brother. And that was it,” he said.
He said the incident has worried friends and relatives, as they believe Margarita was unjustly killed.
“It’s collateral (damage). Everybody coming here who know she, calling me whole night (Thursday) and telling me she innocent, that they only come for he and nobody on the scene is supposed to (be) deal with. It is double the loss now. We have to bury two of them,” he said.
Kenneth said while reports were surfacing that Brian had been involved with “bad company”, Margarita was “not into (anything) like that”.
Another sibling, Allistair Clarke, who also lives on the compound, admitted that his brother had a gambling problem and was “owing people”.
“They should not do that. (Brian) woulda pay them back. We are church-going, Catholic people. Margarita was a good woman. (Brian) was a good, nice guy. It not supposed to be so. (The gunman) not supposed to come here and do that. We have to get justice,” he said.
Shot six times
Kenneth said the community was shaken, as such incidents were uncommon.
“The whole road here they block it off because it had a real crowd. It was a real scene because this never really happen on this road here,” he said.
He said he was not at home at the time of the fatal shooting, but arrived minutes after the incident when he heard the gunshots.
CCTV footage posted to social media on Thursday showed a silver Nissan Note drove up in front of the home shortly before 8 p.m.
In the video, which is almost a minute-and-a-half long, a masked gunman is seen exiting the backseat of the vehicle.
A shot is fired, followed by the screams of a woman.
Seconds later, six shots are fired, and the gunman is seen running off the property and entering the car, which speeds away.
Kenneth said while Brian, who was a truck driver for a hardware store in Cunupia, did not mention receiving any death threats, he believed the attack was planned.
“The gunman ran in the house and ran up to my brother’s place. He knew exactly where to go, so he had to have an informant. He get six bullets, all head shots,” he said.
Describing Brian, commonly known as “Regis”, as “popular”, Kenneth said he “got along with everybody”.
“But he’s a fellow have friends. I can’t detail his friends. Them friends, them know themself. So, I don’t know, maybe it’s bad company. I don’t know what transpire because if they come special for you, it’s because something transpire between all of them. You wouldn’t tell your brother certain things you doing,” he continued.
He described the ongoing state of emergency as “not working”, as crime continued unabated.
Kenneth appealed to the Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander to “step up and protect law-abiding citizens”.
“Right now, we are not too safe because innocent people are getting killed,” he said.
Pointing to the police post nearby, he said the incident occurred even as “police vehicles passed from the post right through here”.
“It real hurting. It is double the loss for the family now to suffer. I couldn’t even sleep last night,” he said.
