Local News

Bandit shot dead by would-be robbery victim

28 January 2025
This content originally appeared on News Day - Trinidad and Tobago.
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TAKEN AWAY: Crime scene police assist in removing the body of a would-be bandit who was shot dead on Charlotte Street in Port of Spain on Monday.- Photos by Faith Ayoung
TAKEN AWAY: Crime scene police assist in removing the body of a would-be bandit who was shot dead on Charlotte Street in Port of Spain on Monday.- Photos by Faith Ayoung

Police are investigating an incident in which an unidentified man was shot dead near the Belmont taxi stand at the corner of Queen and Charlotte Streets in Port of Spain on Monday afternoon.

Police said that around 1 pm on January 27, three men tried to rob a businessman on Charlotte Street.

The businessman, who has a licensed firearm, pulled out his weapon and shot one of the bandits in the head, while the other two ran off. The bandit slumped to the pavement and died.

A senior officer in the Port of Spain Division said he heard the incident was an attempted robbery, and if investigations point in this direction, the man's death would not be classified as a murder. The attempted robbery-turned-fatal-shooting happened in broad daylight in the midst of the ongoing state of emergency.

Newsday visited the scene at Queen and Charlotte streets where the man’s body remained for over an hour before being removed.

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A woman shouts at curious onlookers who were all kept at bay by police caution tape near to where a would-be bandit was shot dead on Monday at the corner of Queen and Charlotte streets in Port of Spain.

Police cordoned off Charlotte Street (south of Prince Street) and Queen Street (west of George Street) to vehicular traffic.

Nearby businesses were closed for the day moments after the shooting.

Several eyewitnesses spoke to Newsday on condition of anonymity.

One woman said that on hearing the gunshots, she quickly sought cover to protect herself.

Crime scene police photograph potential evidence on the pavement near the corner of Queen and Charlotte streets in Port of Spain after a would-be bandit was shot dead on Monday.

"Meen look back, meen look around. I just keep my head straight and walked into the next store I see."

Another person said he saw vendors ducking for cover behind their stalls, while others ran and ducked behind cars.

One woman said, "And they like people thing? That is what they does get. That is what they should get. These youths don't like to work hard for nothing."

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Other people who claimed to have seen the incident unfold said they saw police who were nearby later give chase to the two fleeing bandits. However, Newsday was told that the two remained at large.

The man's body was removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James where an autopsy will be done when an identification is made.
Additional reporting by Gregory Mc Burnie