Suspect, 17, in Penal murder still on the run

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Police cars on a crime scene. – File photo by Jeff K Mayers

The 17-year-old boy wanted in connection with the shooting death of a fellow villager over the weekend at Morne Diablo in Penal was still on the run from the police up to Monday.

The police believe he left the village shortly after the shooting.

The victim was Tyrell “Koke” Karim, 44, who worked as a labourer.

At around 9 am on Saturday, Karim was in the yard of his family’s home at the corner of Lammy Trace and Quarry Road, where he had an altercation with the boy, whom he allegedly wounded with a knife.

The police were unable to say how serious the injury was.

The boy ran into some bushes, returned about 30 minutes later with a gun and fired a shot, hitting Karim in the chest. Karim fell to the ground, and the suspect left.

People put Karim in the back seat of the car of one of his brothers to take him for treatment.

At the time of the shooting, some of Karim’s relatives had gone to the Penal police station to report the wounding, unaware that the situation had turned deadly.

The first responders, W/Cpl Monsegue and PCs Singh and Bipta, left the station. While along Quarry Road, they were stopped by Karim’s brother, who was driving the car and told about about the shooting.

Karim’s body was lying on the back seat.

The DMO Dr Flemming, viewed the body and ordered its removal to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for an autopsy.

South Western Division police, among them Snr Supt Remy, Acting ASP Corrie, acting Insps Prescott, John and Thomas Bodie, Sgts Gosine, Ramdeo and Smith and PCs Buchoon, Telesford, visited the scene.

They found a knife and a cellphone.

PC Henry and WPC Cadette of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (Region III) also visited and gathered information.