Chaguanas woman fatally shot during parking dispute

Shane Superville

Senior Reporter

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What began as a brief stop before a family trip to Maracas Beach ended in tragedy yesterday morning when 65-year-old Susan Madrano-St Louis was fatally shot during a parking dispute.

Police said Madrano-St Louis and her relatives stopped at Sauce Doubles on the Southern Main Road, Cunupia, around 8.25 am, when a dispute erupted between one of her relatives and occupants of a Nissan Tiida.

During the altercation, two of Madrano-St Louis’ relatives were reportedly stabbed. One relative, a prison officer and licensed firearm holder, drew his Glock pistol and fired at the attackers but accidentally struck Madrano-St Louis as the assailants fled.

Cunupia police, arriving at the scene, found residents attempting to resuscitate her. She was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), where she was pronounced dead.

The relative subsequently visited the hospital to explain the events to police before being arrested. His firearm and Firearms User’s License (FUL) were seized by investigators. Police also confiscated the Nissan Tiida believed to have been used by the attackers.

Central Division police carried out roadblocks and stop-and-search operations in Cunupia and Chaguanas in an effort to locate the suspects.

Relatives at Madrano-St Louis’ home on Railway Road, Enterprise, Chaguanas, were too emotional to comment, though one woman said she had “tried to save them.” Friends described her as a warm, friendly woman devoted to her family. Debra Clarke, a friend, recounted speaking with her shortly before she left home to buy doubles.

“They were going to the beach to come back tomorrow, so she came out to buy doubles and this happened,” Clarke said. “She bathes on the sand… my granddaughter gave me a hug, and then they left.”

Residents and workers at the doubles stand were seen cleaning bloodstains from the pavement. A nearby resident said he heard gunshots and screams after returning from errands.

“I was unpacking groceries when I heard two gunshots and then people screaming and running. Nobody just stood around, but I was very surprised this happened here,” he said.

Acting Prisons Commissioner Hayden Forde visited the wounded prison officer at the hospital yesterday evening. He described the officer as going through a “tough time” and said the prison service would provide support to him and his family.

President of the Prison Officers’ Association Gerard Gordon also lamented the death but refrained from commenting on the incident’s details, citing conflicting accounts.

“This is a very tragic event. We are living in strange times, and ‘unfortunate’ doesn’t even describe it adequately,” he said.

Officers from the Region III Homicide Bureau are continuing investigation.