‘Church boy’ shot deadBy RHONDOR DOWLAT Sunday, December 30 2007
DAYS before he was to collect a registration form to enroll in the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, 18-year-old Christopher Singh was gunned down just a few steps away from his St Joseph home at about midnight on Friday. Subsequent to that killing, two streets away, a man identified as Harold Goon was shot four times on the hand.
In a third incident, which occurred at about the same time in the Tunapuna market, a man, identified as 18-year-old Sean Neazel, was shot in the neck following an argument with a man. Neazel was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) where he was treated and warded in a serious condition.
Singh of Agostini Street, was awaiting his CXC results and in the interim got himself a job at Bermudez Biscuit Co Limited, Mt Lambert, where he packed boxes. Singh attended the El Dorado Senior Comprehensive School.
According to a police report, at about midnight Singh was making his way back to his home after visiting his girlfriend, who lives a few houses away, when he was approached by a lone gunman. Singh was shot several times about the body. Residents told police that they heard a single gunshot at first and then five others followed consecutively. Police are yet to determine a motive for Singh’s murder as he never had any criminal record. Singh was taken to the EWMSC where he later died.
Coincidentally, according to police, while investigating officers were on the scene where Singh was shot, a wounded man, ran to them seeking their assistance claiming that he had just been shot. Goon told police, that he was at his home at Hutton Street when he was approached by a man who shot him several times. Police said that Goon was shot four times on his hand. He was also taken to the EWMSC where he was treated and warded in a stable condition. Police are not certain as to what may have led to that shooting.
Speaking to Sunday Newsday yesterday, Singh’s distraught mother, Mary said that her son had just left home to visit his girlfriend. “He was home watching wrestling and suddenly decided to go and look for his girlfriend because she was leaving for the weekend to attend a family wedding.
She told him to stay home, they will see each other on Sunday but he insisted that he wanted to see her and could not wait for Sunday,” Mary said.
“So he left home and stayed a few minutes then while on his way back he stopped and spoke to some of the neighbours who were liming outside on the road and then he left them. As soon as he walked away I was inside the house when I heard gunshots. Something told me that he had gotten shot, I felt the pain in my stomach,” she added.
Singh’s sister, Cindy Mungroo said that she also heard the gunshots. “I ran out in the yard and I saw Christopher lying in a pool of blood. Mummy ran out behind me but I took her back inside and I told her that it wasn’t Christopher that it was somebody else but eventually we were all faced with the deadly truth.”
Cindy described her brother as the “baby” of the family, “Although he was 18 years he was still the baby in the family. It was just three of us — I the second, he (Christopher) the last.”
“He was a very quiet person, very loving, everyone in the village young and old loved him. He was the home type, never went to lime anywhere and loved to go to church. He was so disciplined that he never even got himself involved in any fight. Whatever led to this, is sure a mystery,” Cindy said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Mary revealed that his plan for the New Year was to get himself enrolled in the army, “He loved the Regiment and wanted so much to become a soldier and serve his country, including being involved in the fight against crime — now that wish doesn’t exist because he is no longer here — crime took him away from us.”
Investigations are continuing.
