Venezuelan man dead, daughter injured in recent Trinidad shooting

A Venezuelan national and his three-year-old daughter became the victims of a recent shooting incident in Arima on Wednesday. The incident left the man dead and the toddler severely injured.

The police officials reported that the man was shot multiple times, showing that the shooters deliberately came for him while he was driving with his daughter. The incident took place on Tuesday, and the deceased has been identified as 28-year-old Gabriel Ernesto.

According to the reports, around 7 pm, the residents of Orchard Street Housing Settlement in O'Meara Road, Arima, heard several loud explosions, assumed to be gunshots, following which they called the police.

The officials of the Northern Division Task Force found the victim bleeding severely from gunshot wounds to the chest while the toddler was found crying and standing atop the console, bleeding from a wound to the right forehead.

At the time, the child had been clutching Gabriel's shoulder. Both the victims were found in a black Nissan Almera. His car was towed to the Special Evidence Recovery Unit for analysis.

The police notified the emergency health services, but before their arrival, Ernesto had succumbed to his injuries. The team subsequently rushed the three-year-old to the Arima District Hospital, where she was treated, stabilised and then transferred to Mt Hope Hospital for further treatment. The girl is said to be in a stable condition now and is admitted for observation.

The police officials also revealed that the Crime scene experts also visited the scene and recovered 27 spent shells, including 9mm, 7.62mm, and 5.56mm rounds, some of which bore the marking "TTPS".

The officials are still trying to ascertain where Gabrial resided, as he had a Venezuelan driver's permit. The officers are also trying to reach the victim's family so that they can handover the child. This was the 4th murder that took place in the Arima area in less than one month.