By Onika James Tuesday, August 26 2008

A husband and wife died at hospital hours after a gunman attacked them at their apartment home in El Socorro early yesterday morning.

The double murder pushed the number of homicides to 347.

Police report that Sharon Henry, 41, and her husband Nicholas Tavernier, 38 were preparing to leave their home at Ramzan Drive, El Socorro, at about 4.45 am, when Tavernier was accosted by several men at the front gate.

Tavernier and the men got into a fist fight. During the brawl, Tavernier got shot. On hearing the commotion, Henry rushed out of the apartment and ran into one of the suspects. She attempted to run back into the apartment but she was shot.

Henry’s daughter found the couple bleeding and called the police. Officers from the Barataria Police Station responded and took the wounded couple to the Priority Care Facility, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope where they died.

Investigators believe the killings could have been the result of an argument Tavernier had with another person. Officers also confirmed that an arrest is imminent.

Tavernier was a security manager with Auto Village at El Socorro while Henry worked at Amalgamated Security Co Ltd.

When contacted, communications manager of Amalgamated Security Justine Aboud said, “Henry was not killed while in the line of duty, and the company cannot respond to the matter.”

Calls to Auto Village went unanswered yesterday.