Gunman seen in bushes, hours before Williamsville man shot dead

MURDERED: Williamsville resident Allan Samaroo who was gunned down on September 30. -

There was anger in Williamsville on Tuesday with residents slamming the police saying had officers responded in a timely manner to reports of a gunman seen lurking in the area, it may have prevented a father of one being gunned down in broad daylight as he was awaiting transport to go to work.

Allan Samaroo, 40, was fatally shot around 7.05 am while standing at the side of the road at the junction at the end of Esmeralda Road in Riversdale. Reports are that Samaroo was shot multiple times including in the head and he died at the scene.

At his home which is not too far from where he was killed, Samaroo's relatives, friends and villagers gathered to share in the family's grief.

Relatives said they were told that several villagers saw a man dressed in long clothing and wearing a mask, hiding in the bushes not far from where Samaroo was standing. His sister-in-law, Karmeenee Seepersad, 39, said the police were contacted, but they did not respond in a timely manner.

"Had they responded quicker, as they should, things could have turned out different. This could have been avoided. Obviously, if the police had showed up on the scene, the person in the bush would have fled or be captured.

"They would not have had the time to meet Allan to shoot him there. But after the shooting took place, you saw more than 20 officers on the scene, more than five vehicles parked up there when they should have done something earlier."

Newsday was told that a villager saw the gunman in the bushes. Newsday was unable to speak with him, but his relative did speak and said the gunman was spotted in the bushes very near the junction two hours before the attack.

"It was my father who saw the man around 6 am, but an hour earlier, other people – at least three – saw a man making his way though the bushes along the river, holding a flashlight and heading towards the road," a villager said.

The villager added that a report was made to police via 999 around 6.30 am and it was reported that an unknown man was acting suspiciously in the bushes. The villagers showed Newsday the call logs from the relative's cellphone which showed an incoming call from Gasparillo Police Station at 6.31 am, which lasted three minutes and 41 seconds.

The villagers said the relative was not given any indication from the police that a unit was being sent to investigate.

However, after Samaroo was gunned down and his body lay on the road, calls to the same police station was met with the assurance that officers were on their way.

"Had the Gasparillo police sent a unit after the call was made at 6.30 am, they would have had enough time to arrive before Allan even had time to leave his home to head to the junction," a villager said.

When contacted for comment, Snr Supt Garvin Simon of Police Southern Division told Newsday that officers of the Gasparillo Police Station were dispatched immediately after receiving the call and were looking for the area, when the shooting occurred. He said that's why they arrived within minutes after the incident.

ACP (South-Central) Michael Pierre offered condolences to Samaroo's family on behalf of the Police Commissioner and said the family's concerns are being investigated.

"I take that very seriously as a police officer and I will be looking into that matter with a view of getting closure," Pierre said when told of the delayed response by the police to the initial call of an unknown person lurking in the bushes near the junction.

"Every death is a blow to the nation but I guarantee that we would be looking into the matter with a view of resolving the issue pertaining to the calls and also to solving that murder."

Samaroo's weeping widow Keisha Samaroo, 33, had to be consoled by her sister-in-law as she struggled to deal with the tragedy that had only just befallen her.

Through sobs, she said Tuesday began like any other work day, with her packing Samaroo some lunch and seeing him off as he left for work. It was only minutes after he walked out of the house, Samaroo said, that she got the news that he was shot and had collapsed on the road.

"My sister called me and tell me he fall down but I didn't know what really happened and I just run out to see what happened." Samaroo said she could think of no reason why someone would kill him.

"He was a real good husband. I could never say nothing bad because he never bad treat meh, he never hit meh, he never rough meh up. He never do nothing bad. I swear to God. One thing I could say, he did real love meh...Everything is for me and the children. Sometimes he would go and do without, just for we. He didn't deserve to die that way."

The unemployed woman said she does not know how she will care for her six-year-old daughter. Up to press time, no arrest was made and investigations are ongoing.