By Alexander Bruzual and Ralph Banwarie Monday, September 14 2009

Less than an hour after the shooting which claimed the lives of five men at a bar in Curepe early Sunday morning, two men were shot in an Arima bar.

Police reports said that at about 3.25 am, 32-year-old Keino Gabriel of Lady Young Road, Morvant, and 29-year-old Liston Phil, of Peak Lane, Valencia, were at Paddock’s Bar, along Green Street, Arima, when they got into an argument with another man.

A short while later, as the two men attempted to leave the bar several loud explosions were heard sending patrons running for their lives.

Gabriel was shot in the face and hip, while Phil received injuries to his waist. The individual who shot at the two men escaped.

The police were contacted and both Gabriel and Phil were taken to the Arima District Medical Facility before being transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where they are warded in stable condition.

Meanwhile, police held three men in Biche who have been robbing people by impersonating police officers. At about 10 pm last week Thursday, the men dressed in police uniforms broke down the door of the house of a family in Kowlessar Trace, Biche, beat and robbed them of $30,000 in cash and jewelry valued at $18,000.

The men escaped in a heavily tinted blue B14 vehicle outfitted with the traditional blue revolving lights of the police service. The family contacted officers at Biche Police Station, and Corporal Verun Beharry, PC Singh, PC Mendoza and PC Tom, responded. Their swift response led to the arrest of the three men shortly thereafter.

From the information received, the officers conducted several raids throughout northern Trinidad and the team led by Inspector Gabriel Joseph, Sgt Ken Lutchman and Sgt Christopher Fuentes, found several police uniforms, combat boots, batons along with cellphones and some of the stolen jewelry.