By RALPH BANWARIE Saturday, September 5 2009

click on pic to zoom in

Richard Bissoon ...

SEVERAL gunmen stormed into a house at Cumana, Toco on Thursday night, and opened fire, killing one and wounding another.

Gardener Richard Bissoon, 35, and his common-law-wife, Golda Jupiter, 22, were watching a television show in the living room of their home at Anglais Road, Cumana, when at about 10.50 pm the gunmen kicked down the front door and opened fire, killing Bissoon and wounding, Jupiter. They then fled the scene on foot. This was murder No. 352 for the year.

The couple’s two children — Akeem, nine, and his brother Jaheem, three, were in a bedroom at the time of the shooting. When they heard the gunshots they ran and hid under a bed. They were later found by a relative in a state of shock and crying uncontrollably.

Police said Bissoon was shot several times about the body. He was found lying on the floor, in a pool of blood next to the couch. Jupiter, who attempted to escape was found wounded and slumped on the floor near a back door. She was taken to the Sangre Grande District Hospital where she was warded in a critical condition. Police said she was shot in the hip.

A party of police officers led by Insp Allan Ramai, Cpl Nicholas Ramdeen and other officers from the Toco Police Station visited the scene.

Bissoon’s body was viewed by District Medical Officer Dr SS Lutchmie. The body was removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James. Investigators found several spent shells belonging to 9 mm pistols and 12-guage shotgun cartridges on the scene.

Police believe that the incident was drug-related. However, Bissoon’s brother, Julien, denied this but said that he believed that it was a “revenge act”.

Speaking with Newsday yesterday, Julien said that two weeks ago Bissoon had an altercation with another person and believed that the incident may have stemmed from that.

He said that his brother was not the type of person to indulge in illegal activities, but described him as a “family man”.

“Richard would do little jobs as a handyman around the village, and everytime he finished working he would come home to his kids and play cricket with them in the yard, then he would go and shower, eat dinner and spend time with his wife by looking at tv,” Julien said.

“Just yesterday (Thursday) I asked him to go and play football with us but he (Bissoon) said that he wanted to instead, stay home with his family,” he added.

Cpl Ramdeen of the Toco Police Station is continuing investigations.