By NALINEE SEELAL Saturday, October 3 2009

THREE suspected car thieves were shot dead and a fourth man seriously wounded during an exchange of gunfire between police officers and the four in the vicinity of Juman’s compound in Morvant shortly after 11 pm on Thursday.

The police yesterday identified the dead men as Akee Caballero, 32; Joel Romain, 20, and Kerwin Joseph. The wounded man remains warded in critical condition under police guard at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Following the shootout, police said they seized two guns and recovered a stolen Nissan B15 car. According to reports, shortly after 10 pm, Police Command Centre issued an all points bulletin advising all police to be on the lookout for a vehicle stolen in the Arima district.

North-Eastern Division Task Force officers led by Sergeant Roger Alexander who were on patrol responded to the report and saw the stolen vehicle in La Horquetta. Officers gave chase and the four occupants in the stolen car began firing at the police on reaching Morvant Junction. The car was finally cornered in the vicinity of Juman’s compound and a gun battle ensued.

When the smoke cleared, three men were found bleeding from gunshot wounds on the ground near the car. They were already dead. The fourth man, barely alive, was taken in an ambulance to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

The stolen car was taken to the Barataria police station where it was photographed and is expected to be handed over to its owner today. Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert visited the scene of the shootout and commended the officers for placing their lives on the line to recover the car and bring the criminals to justice.

An eyewitness told Newsday, “I heard dozens of shots and knew people had to have been injured or killed because of the large amount of gunshots. It was only after the shooting stopped that me and friends who were liming nearby, saw three men lying on the ground dead.”

Morvant residents said that the incident was a frightening one since the gunshots between the police and the bandits could be heard clearly in the dead of the night. They added that the sound of gunshots is common in the neighbourhood, but what they heard on Thursday night was definitely frightening. Crime scene investigators visited the scene of the shootout and recovered several spent shells from the scene.