Trinidad: Woman shot dead amid threats, sought police protection several times

Trinidad and Tobago: A mother of two was shot dead in Trinidad on Tuesday morning by an armed assailant who fired several rounds on the vehicle's window in which she was driving.

According to the reports, the woman had sought safety from the police officials for the last few months as she was being threatened by a neighbour.

Because of continuous threats, 38-year-old Crystal Harricharan of Boodoo Trace in St Margaret's, Claxton Bay, left her home with her children and was living with a friend.

According to the reports, she left the home of her male companion around 7:10 am to pick up her children for school, following which a white Nissan B 15 pulled up, and a hooded gunman jumped out, ran up to her car, fired several shots through the window, hitting her.

The suspect then fled the crime scene, following which the passersby notified the police and emergency health services. As the officials reached the crime scene, they found the victim dead in the driver's seat.

The incident has also been recorded on a private surveillance video, which clearly showed that the man came with the intention of killing the young female.

The relatives of the victim are reporting that last year, Harricharan reportedly got into an altercation with a fellow resident of Boodoo Trace Extension because of a car parking issue. Following the incident, on January 1, 2024, gunmen reportedly shot up the windows of her home.

She made a report to the police, who investigated; however, nothing came out of it. On January 18, the suspects reportedly came back and tried to firebomb Harricharan's house, but relatives managed to out the blaze. They again returned two days later and made another attempt to arson the home, forcing her to flee her home and go into hiding.

In addition to this, the relatives also reported that Crystal called the St Margaret's Police Station many times asking for help. "Up to Monday, she was on the phone asking for protection," they added.

Her sister Waheeda Seenath was seen crying and saying that she made several attempts to save herself and her children, but the police officials failed her.