Trinidad: Father and son shot de*d in Cunupia amid extortion feud

Trinidad and Tobago: A father and son were gunned down in a cold-blooded ambush in Cunupia, Trinidad, becoming the latest victims in what authorities said is a deadly, long-running extortion war. The attack was planned, and the victims were specifically targeted by gunmen, said the police.  

According to the information, Anthony John and his son Vickie Joseph were killed on the morning of Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at the corner of River Road and Mon Plaisir Road, moments after leaving their home to sell coconuts.  

The incident got captured on surveillance footage which shows the vehicle being followed by a silver-coloured AD Wagon before it was boxed in by another car. Several gunmen came out of the vehicles and opened fire right in the direction of the victims’ vehicle, said the police.  

They added that both the victims died at the scene while a third man in the vehicle was injured and rushed to the hospital.  

Reportedly, this attack came just weeks after a previous attempt on John’s life on April 4 when gunmen in a silver Nissan Tiida opened fire at his residence while he sat on the gallery with a female relative. During this attack, he escaped unhurt however the shooters attacked him again yesterday, leaving him and his son dead. 

Police said that the killings are believed to be connected to a violent extortion ring targeting street vendors as well as small business owners. Moreover, the victims’ family has a history of tragedy-in 2023, another relative Dillon Joseph was fatally shot while selling watermelons near the Caroni Roundabout. Several other relatives were also killed in St Augustine and nearby areas.  

The incident has sent shockwaves across Trinidad and Tobago with citizens urging the government to bring back death penalty for the criminals. "Bring back the death penalty and harsher punishment for criminal this will be the first step in controlling crime,” said a user named Latchmin Seetahal while another user said, “It's enough..... Trinidad and Tobago urgently need to seek overseas INTERPOL or SCOTLAND YARD or even the CIA to curb this madness, this massive crime rate NOW.”