By RHONDOR DOWLAT Wednesday, August 19 2009

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SHOT DEAD: Senior policemen speak in a huddle near the body of an unidentified bandit who was shot dead in Barataria yesterday. ...

FOR THE SECOND time in just over a month, a bandit has been killed by an off-duty police officer, this time in Barataria and in full view of his (the officer’s) ten-year-old son.

The bandit, who is believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, attempted to rob the officer as he pulled up in his silver and black Mazda car outside an auto garage yesterday, but was instead shot dead.

Police recovered a Magnum .357 revolver several metres away from the bandit’s body. Up to late yesterday, the bandit remained unidentified, but police released a description of the man saying he is five feet, four inches in height, with a low hair cut and wearing a blue and grey jersey, a pair of black three-quarter jeans and a pair of grey shoes.

According to a police report, at about 3 pm, PC Trevor Halls of the Repeat Offenders Programme (ROPE) at Besson Street Police Station, stopped his car at the corner of Ninth and Tenth Streets in Barataria in front of Fabulous Auto Garage, where he was going to have his car serviced.

Police said that two men, one armed with a gun, approached Halls and snatched his gold chain from his neck. They then demanded that he hand over the keys to the car, in which Halls’ son was a passenger.

Police said that Halls attempted the take away the bandit’s gun and during the struggle drew his Police Issued service revolver and shot the bandit in the chest. The bandit attempted to run away but slumped in the middle of the road where he died. The other bandit lost his nerve and ran off. Police recovered Hall’s gold chain on the scene.

Within minutes a party of officer led by ASP Stephen Ramsubhag and ASP Johnny Abraham and including Insp Stanley John, Sgt Eric Parks and officers of the North-Eastern Division Task Force arrived on the scene and cordoned off the area.

Halls and his son were taken to the Barataria Police Station where they were both interviewed. The District Medical Officer ordered the bandit’s body removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

Police are asking members of the public to assist them in identifying the dead bandit and can contact them at 674-4723, 674-4724, 624-1926, 800 TIPS (8577) or 555. Investigations are continuing.

On July 13, outside the Independence Square, Port-of-Spain branch of Republic Bank bandit Walter Connell of San Fernando, was shot twice in the chest by a police constable from the Inter Agency Task Force.

Reports revealed that at about 9 am, the officer walked out of the bank where he was accosted by Connell who stabbed him in the neck and grabbed a bag. The wounded plain clothes officer drew his service weapon and shot Connell. Connell was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was warded and died four days after.