One dead, another hurt in Morvant gun attack

A Morvant community was left shaken after a shooting led to the death of one man and the wounding of another yesterday morning.

Police said Akeem Caballero, alias “Chinee Boy,” and Isaiah Mandley, both 22, were liming with another man outside Building B at Paradise Heights at 9.15 am, when a man wearing a bandanna across his face approached and shot them.

Caballero was shot several times, while Mandley was shot in the right side of his head but managed to run away.

Passers-by took both men to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, where Caballero was declared dead.

Investigators said Mandley was receiving treatment up to last evening.

Officers of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region II were called in with officers from the North Eastern Division Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) unit, who found 13 spent 9mm shells.

Guardian Media visited Paradise Heights yesterday as police officers were seen looking for spent shells and processing the scene for evidence.

Several residents were seen looking at the officers from the safety of their homes in opposite buildings.

One man, who did not want to be identified, said the sudden, unpredictable nature of the attack left many residents fearful, as they were in the process of their daily chores when they heard the gunshots.

“It’s not a nice thing to know that this kind of violence going on right outside your window. If a stray bullet had fly and lick down somebody, what would have happened then?” he said.

The resident said he did not know either Caballero or Mandley well enough.

Guardian Media returned to Paradise Heights hours later and attempted to speak with Caballero’s relatives but they declined to comment.

Paradise Heights residents say while their neighbourhood has been generally peaceful for most of the year, flare-ups of violence have left them concerned about their safety.

On January 16, Israel McLaren, 18, Shaqkeem Dennis, 27 and Jamol Williams were killed down by gunmen wearing police tactical gear as they sat under a tent outside Building D, which is within walking distance of yesterday’s attack.

Paradise Heights is located in Morvant but is bordered by the Besson Street Police Station District, which is part of the Port-of-Spain Division.

As of December 5, the Port-of-Spain and the North Eastern Divisions had two of the highest murder tolls for the year, with 91 and 73 respectively.

No motive has been established for the Caballero’s murder.

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