12 people murdered – A week of bloodshed

Gracelyn Ramberan and her husband Vijai Rampersad who were shot dead in their Friendship Village, San Fernando home. -

IN THE midst of a state of emergency, Trinidad and Tobago was gripped by a deadly wave of violence over the past week, with at least 12 people including a woman and a 15-year-old boy, being murdered in several incident in the space of five days between October 6 and October 10.

From home invasions to street shootings, the brutal killings shocked communities across TT and sent the murder into overdrive, moving from 276 on October 6, to 288 as of October 10.

The latest murders took place before dawn on October 10, when a sleeping family was set upon by gunmen in Friendship Village, San Fernando and were shot as they slept.

Gracelyn Ramberan, 48, her husband Vijai Rampersad, 58, and their son Randy Rampersad, 25, were all killed. Randy's wife Kimberly Rampersad, who was also shot, was in critical condition at hospital up to Friday evening.

SHOT DEAD: Randy Rampersad who was shot dead in his Friendship Village, San Fernando home. -

On October 7, there were multiple killings in the afternoon and night of that day.

At around 10.15 pm, Darren Mohamdally, 50, was shot dead inside his van near his home on Mohamdally Street off Joyce Road, Chaguanas.

The manager of a construction company had just returned from work in Freeport when a gunman ambushed and shot him.

SHOT DEAD: Businessman Darren Mohamdally. -

Earlier that day, in the afternoon, Andrew Morales, 37, of Petit Bourg, Santa Cruz was gunned down in Marshall Trace, Cunupia.

He was reportedly shot during an argument involving his girlfriend and another man over her 11-month-old child. The suspect fled the scene by riding off on a bicycle. CCTV footage which showed him riding off, has been shared on social media, but as of October 10, he remained at large.

That same afternoon, Isaiah Akeem Richards, 27, also known as “Bum Bum,” was shot dead in Hell Yard, Malick.

Around 1.30 pm, brothers Jovel Paul, 15, and Rodney Slater, 23, were ambushed and shot dead while liming under a shed near their home in San Juan. A male relative was also critically injured. Gunmen are believed to have emerged from tall bushes on a nearby hill.

Ten minutes earlier, around 1.20 pm, a street dweller was fatally chopped, allegedly by another street dweller, on French Street in Woodbrook. The victim died shortly after arriving at the Port of Spain General Hospital.

On October 6, TT suffered three murders in separate incidents.

Around 8.40 pm, PH driver James Marine, 61, and Kevin Bocage, 36, both of Diego Martin, were shot dead inside Marine’s car at Moses Avenue in San Juan. Residents reported hearing gunshots before their bodies were found.

Ikeisha "Freeda" Wildman, stabbed to death. -

Less than two hours earlier, around 7 pm, Ikeisha “Freeda” Wildman, 43, a mother of two, was stabbed to death at her home on Teresa Street in an area known as The Line in Marabella.

Men reportedly broke in through a back door and attacked her. Her nine-year-old son, who was also at home, escaped unharmed. Even as she was gasping for breath and dying, Wildman's main concern was for the safety of her son whom she told to run. The boy was not harmed.