Trinidad and Tobago records 1st double murder of 2026 as two men gunned down in Laventille 

Trinidad and Tobago recorded its first double murder of 2026 after Zimba Charles and 37-year-old Akil Miguel Edwards were gunned down in the Laventille Road terrain on January 2. Although information on the death of the two men remains primitive, the police preliminary investigations suggest that the two friends were gunned down in hard-to-reach Laventille Road terrain before 6 p.m.

The bodies of the two men were discovered after officers of the Northeastern Division Task Force responded to a report of a shooting incident.

Officers reportedly found Edwards’ body outside while Charles was discovered inside a small clay brick shack tucked away in the rugged hillside terrain.

Following the discovery of the bullet-riddled bodies, officers of the Northeastern Division Task Force were joined by officers from the San Juan Police Station and the Region 2 Homicide Bureau of Investigations, who launched an investigation into the first double murder of 2026.

Following the brutal killing of the two men, the family of 37-year-old Akil Miguel Edwards broke silence on Sunday and pleaded for the killings over a war in Laventille Road that everyone is afraid to talk about to stop.

The family members of the 37-year-old including his two sisters along with his mother noted Edwards as someone who had a happy childhood and was never involved in any criminal activity but was only into video games and smoking weed.

The family further described Edwards as a skilled tradesman who was an excellent tile man working with his hands and taking pride in his craft.

Akil’s mother, Juliette Edwards, also broke down in tears as she spoke about losing her last child through the violent senseless killing, days after she had bought him a pair of new slippers on Christmas Eve.

In the wake of the discovery, citizens across Trinidad and Tobago took to Facebook to offer condolences, with users writing, “My condolences to their family. May the good Lord grant them eternal peace,” and “Condolences to their loved ones,” while others sought answers over the killing, with one user Narvin Kolahal stating, “Nobody came from outside to do that job. Somebody up there must know what happened.”  

Richard Sant wrote, “Instead of protesting maduro arrest. Why not protest senseless violence in Trinidad and try to solve it.”