Best friends shot deadBy RHONDOR DOWLAT Monday, March 17 2008
WHILE Roman Catholics throughout the country were observing Palm Sunday, police said that in a moment of sheer madness, gunmen opened fire inside a Cunupia bar and fatally shot two men who were described as best friends, at about midday yesterday.
Police sources said they had not established a motive for the country’s latest murders which pushed this year’s tally to 84.
According to a police report, at about 11.30 am, Ricardo Marcano, 26, of Chin Chin Road, Cunupia was liming with his best friend Derick “Chisel” Samuel, 25, of Paul Augustus Road, inside the Bonne Adventure Bar at Madras Junction.
An argument broke out in the bar and two other men whipped out guns, pointed them at Marcano and Samuel and opened fire. The gunmen then ran out of the bar and escaped. A customer at the bar, police said, took Marcano and Samuel to the Chaguanas Health Facility where they were both pronounced dead-on-arrival. A week ago, a State witness was shot in the mouth and shoulder at this same bar, police reported.
A party of officers led by Snr Supt Rattan Singh, ASP Stephen Ramsubhag, Sgt Terril Figaro and Sgt Rodney visited the scene and interviewed several persons.
When Newsday visited the Madras Road home of Samuel, a neighbour said the dead man lived with his deaf/mute uncle. The neighbour said Samuel’s mother had died a month ago. “We don’t know really much about him. He used to be all over the place, especially after his mother’s death,” the neighbour said. A shop owner who only identified himself as John told Newsday that Marcano had earlier passed by his shop where he took some items and promised to pay for them on his way back home. “Unfortunately he never reached back. He took a Kiss cake, a soft drink and a loaf of bread and said he was reaching by the junction to come back. He was a good boy...only recently I started my business and I never had any problems with him,” John said.
When Newsday went to Marcano’s residence persons who had gathered for his wake said that Marcano’s brother Ronaldo was not at home and they could not comment. The bodies were taken to the Forensic Science Centre where autopsies would be carried out today. Up to late yesterday, no arrests were made and investigations are continuing.
This is the second time within the past week that a shooting in a bar had ended in death. Last week Monday, Sangre Grande businessman Abdul Ali was shot and killed inside Cheers Bar in Sangre Grande in an incident in which one of two bandits was also killed.
At the time, Ali was celebrating the return to Trinidad of his mother who had been overseas for six months.
