ACTING Commissioner of Police (CoP) Junior Benjamin described the ongoing investigation into the assassination of Arkim Quashie, who was gunned down at the Piarco International Airport, as "progressing nicely."
"We are actively dealing with it," he said.
On April 17, around 1.45 am, Quashie, 33, arrived in Trinidad on a flight from Panama. After exiting the arrivals building, he got into a Hyundai Tucson with two other people.
Minutes later, a silver Nissan Tiida pulled up alongside the Tucson, and three men armed with high-powered weapons got out and opened fire. The killers then got back into their car and drove off.
The vehicle used in the assassination was later found abandoned, and police believe Quashie’s killers may have swapped vehicles.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Police Administration Building, Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, on April 22, Benjamin also addressed police efforts now that the state of emergency has ended. He stressed the importance of learning from past events and implementing necessary changes.
"We are examining what was done, the lessons learnt, and putting things in place. Moving forward, there is a zero tolerance in dealing with crime."
Benjamin also commented on the kidnapping and subsequent murder of O'delle Lalman-Baptiste during a suspected carjacking in Carlsen Field. Her body was found in the same district about 12 hours after she was abducted, on April 19.
"We want to ensure that we not only address these matters but that we solve them. We will be working very hard on that as well," he said.
Lalman-Baptiste, 30, was a registered nurse at the Point Fortin Hospital and the mother of a three-year-old. She was abducted at gunpoint around 11 pm on April 18.
Initial reports indicate her husband, 29-year-old Point Fortin car dealer Matthias Baptiste, had stopped his van along Hospital Road, Carlsen Field, to urinate when a black Nissan X-Trail pulled up. Two armed men got out and approached the couple.
They were robbed of $1,500 and two cell phones. The suspects then drove off in the van, with Lalman-Baptiste still inside.
Her body was found at the side of the road, a short distance from where she was taken. Investigators believe she was killed shortly after her abduction and thrown from the vehicle.
Police said while the incident initially appeared to be a robbery, they are pursuing other lines of inquiry.
Around midnight on April 18, police tracked the stolen van using its GPS. During a chase, the van veered off the highway near the Eastern Correctional Rehabilitation Centre in Santa Rosa and crashed in a ditch.
According to police, two men got out and shot at officers, who returned fire. One suspect was shot, while the other escaped. The injured man was taken to the Arima General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
