Trinidad: 23-year-old homeless man fatally shot by Police during street fight

Trinidad and Tobago: A 23-year-old male died on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at the San Fernando General Hospital after being shot by a municipal police officer during an incident on Lower High Street, San Fernando, Trinidad. The victim has been identified as Adam Williamson who was a homeless man, said the police.  

According to the information by municipal police, around 11:30 am on Tuesday, two female officers on patrol in a marked vehicle saw two men-believed to be homeless-fighting brutally outside the Republic Bank.  

It is reported that Adam was seen stabbing 64-year-old David Lewis, a street dweller, who was involved in the fight. Additionally, Adam allegedly refused to drop the weapon despite multiple requests from female officers. 

Following this, one officer fired a single shot, hitting Adam in the abdomen and he fell to the ground. He was then rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died less than an hour later. Meanwhile, the other man remains hospitalised and is being treated for stab wounds.  

Reports further claim that the officer was emotional and visibly shaken after learning of Adam’s death and her service weapon, along with the knife allegedly used in the incident, was seized as part of the ongoing investigation. 

The preliminary investigation into the incident revealed that Williamson and the homeless man got into an argument over territory for ‘hustling’ following which the officers arrived. The eyewitness said that as Williamson started stabbing the other man several times, officer drew her firearm and shot him as he tried to attack another officer who was trying to intervene and stop the fight.  

According to relatives, the deceased grew up in an orphanage and his mother, who also lived on the street before her death, had left her children with different family members and as a result, the siblings were separated and barely knew each other while growing up. At the age of 18, Adam was put out of the home and was left to survive on the streets.