Trinidad: Teenager among two found shot dead in Arima bushes, investigation underway

Trinidad and Tobago: Police in Trinidad have launched a homicide investigation after the dead bodies of two young men were found in the bushes off Demerara Road, Arima on Thursday after a deadly shooting incident.  

Police confirmed the incident and identified the deceased as a 17-year-old schoolboy Kimani Dyer and 21-year-old Kershawn Edwards. Both the victims were residents of Zone 8, Mount Zion, Arima. Another man, aged 25, also from the same area, reportedly survived the attack as he was shot in the right hand.  

It is reported that Dyer was a student of Arima North Secondary School in Trinidad and the shooting took place around 10 pm on Wednesday night. However, it wasn’t until 11 48 pm that officers were alerted to a report of a man suffering from gunshot wound at the hospital.  

Relatives reportedly told the police that the victim had gone on a hunting trip in a forested area located opposite to Punette Extension, Arima with the two other individuals who lost their lives in the incident.  

Due to the extent of his injuries, the officers were not able to immediately interview him but based on the information shared by his relatives, officers coordinated a search with help from the Northern Division Task Force.  

At around 2 05 am on Thursday, officers proceeded to a farm which was located on the western side of Demerara Road in Arima where they found the bullet riddled bodies of Edwards and Dyer along a dirt road in the bushy area. They also found a partially scrapped white coloured Nissan AD Wagon.  

Fatal shooting in Arima, Trinidad linked to stolen vehicle from Demerara Road 

Investigators also confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen at gunpoint on Tuesday along Demerara Road by five masked and armed suspects and was in the process of being stripped when the shooting took place.  

In addition to this, police were informed that on Wednesday, the mother of the robbery victim had received a message from a man who was demanding $8,000 in exchange for the return of the stolen car.  

Police believe that five men were in the process of scrapping the car when they were suddenly ambushed and fired upon by unknown assailants. While two men managed to escape, other two were killed on the scene while a third one was wounded.  

The officers from the Northern Division Task Force along with other units returned to the crime scene on Thursday morning and found parts of the vehicle, which was being scrapped, which further confirmed their narrative. 

The police are now investigating the incident to determine the exact circumstances which led to the fatal shooting.