Sunday, December 30 2012

POLICE officers swarmed downtown Port-of-Spain early yesterday, as they cordoned off the city in search of a gunman who shot and killed a 29-year-old Morvant man near the Office of the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB), located at the corner of Independence Square South and George Street.

Police reports reveal that at about 3 am, Anthony Williams, 29, of Red Hill, Morvant, was standing at the corner of Independence Square south and George Street when a loud explosion was heard.

Passers-by saw the victim, whose alias is Milky, fall to the ground and when they checked they realised Williams was bleeding from a single bullet wound to the back of the head.

Officers from the Port-of-Spain CID, led by Acting ASP Ajith Persad, Cpl Grant and WPC De Gazon, as well as Homicide and Crime Scene Investigators, visited the scene along with District Medical Officer Dr Robert Naidike.

The area was cordoned off as the search continued for the killer.

Sunday Newsday understands that Homicide officers were sifting through CCTV footage yesterday in the hope of identifying the killer.

It remained unclear why Williams was killed last evening, but police investigators believe his murder was an assassination.

Commenting on the brazen murder in the heart of the capital yesterday, Deputy Police Commissioner, Mervyn Richardson, said, “I am disappointed. Not withstanding all the effort that we are making to keep the peace within the city of Port-of-Spain and throughout the island, persons are still finding a way to disrupt this peace by shooting others in the capital city.

“To this end, increased patrols, especially in the night, have been instituted with immediate effect from last night in all major towns and cities in Trinidad and Tobago. We are exploring all possibilities and evidence to bring the perpetrator of this heinous crime to justice in the shortest possible time. I give the assurance that he will be found and dealt with according to law.”

He said investigators are trying to ascertain whether the victim had any previous convictions and was also checking with relatives if he had received any recent threats to assist in the investigations.

Recently, the police service, in conjunction with other stakeholders, launched a safe city initiative to deal specifically with crime in Port-of-Spain and the programme was extended to Carnival next year. Several officers from the police, army, city police, port police and transit officers teamed up to be part of this programme, and it was expected to reap the desired results.

However, with the shooting death of Williams, officers in charge of the programme are expected to meet today to discuss new strategies to deal with any similar occurrence in the city.