Siparia labourer died in shooting during robbery, one injured

Trinidad and Tobago: A 38-year-old man was killed by two assailants in a fatal shooting which left one other individual injured in Siparia. The reason for the incident is reported to be an attempted robbery on the two victims on the morning of Thursday 09 May, around 5:10 am.

The injured victim of the criminal act is not identified by his document name till now, but it is disclosed that the man was 20 years old. On the other side, the deceased victim of the attempted robbery was a labourer by profession who was known among people by his given name Bhal. The documented name of the dead man was Leroy Sifontes.

Both the victims who faced the shooting attack by the two assailants were fellow villagers who lived in the locality of Mahappy Trace off Darson Trace in Siparia. Siparia is a town of Trinidad that is situated in the southern part of the island.

As per the reports, the victims of the Siparia shooting attack during the robbery were together standing along the Siparia Old Road on the day. At the time, they both were present at Darsan Trace junction where a passing motor vehicle arrived at stopped near them. The motor vehicle was a Hyundai brand car of red colour which was occupied by two individuals.

At nearly 5:10 am, the occupants of the motor car, one in the driving seat and one in the front passenger seat, approached the two men. It is said that the victims went to the individuals in the car and had a conversation after which they both entered the motor vehicle and occupied two empty passenger seats at the back.

It is said that the car occupants mentioned that they were working the Fyzabad route. After the victims entered the car the driver started driving along the route forward. After covering a short distance, the two suspects expressed their intentions and announced the robbery. Meanwhile, the suspect in the front passenger seat pulled out a hidden firearm and pointed it towards the victims.

Due to the sudden unexpected threat coming to them, the victims reacted with their efforts to escape from the place. Both victims tried to exit from the vehicle during which the armed suspect pulled the trigger against the two men in order to stop their resistance. The victim Leroy Sifontes, got hit by the fired bullet in his chest which became the prime reason for his death while the other man in the company was able to pull himself out of the vehicle.

The other victim suffered from injury of gunshots which hit his buttocks. The injury of the man was not lethal enough to take his life but Leroy Sifontes was found dead on the spot. The two suspects after the failed attempt of robbery, instantly left the crime scene in their motor vehicle while leaving the victims in critical condition.

However, the injured victim was able to receive help after which he was taken for treatment for his wounds to the hospital. Subsequently, the information of the attempted robbery of Siparia during which a man lost his life while one got injured due to a fatal shooting was passed to the law enforcement agency.

The law enforcement department alerted a team of police officers on duty and led them to the crime scene to collect evidence related to the criminal act. The statement of the injured victim was noted to lead the investigation in a particular direction. The dead man was transferred to the forensics for the autopsy procedure.

This case of killing a labourer by shooting in Siparia is recorded as the third incident of murder in the region of South Western Division. The last case of murder was reported just two days ago on Tuesday, 07 May, where a 38-year-old man was shot and killed at the corner of First Street in Point Fortin. The dead man was identified as Brent Lewis, who was a resident of 19th Street in Techier Village.