US soldier killed, 26 murdered in seven days in Trinidad

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, (CMC):

A visiting United States soldier was shot and killed on Tuesday night as Trinidad and Tobago recorded more than 26 murders over a seven-day period.

A statement from the United States Embassy here on Wednesday confirmed that Sergeant Simeon Roderique was shot and killed, and that it is "actively coordinating with local authorities towards diligently solving this deplorable crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.

"Sergeant Roderique's family has been contacted and informed of his death," the brief statement from the US Embassy said, without giving any details about the soldier's age or where he had been stationed before his arrival here.

Overnight

Media reports said that Roderique had been shot from behind while in a vehicle in the volatile Laventille area, and his death was one of four recorded overnight.

The reports said that a close friend, Nikal Hoyte, was also shot and killed by three gunmen.

Police have also confirmed that Charmaine Grant and her boyfriend Ashton Woods were also shot and killed at an apartment in Laventille, along the east-west corridor.

National Security Minister Brigadier John Sandy said that the upsurge in criminal activities had become a "cause of growing concern" and that it would make "law-abiding citizens lose confidence".

He said he had informed the new police commissioner to "go hard and go hard at them (criminals).

"We are not going to allow the criminals to take over Trinidad and Tobago," Sandy said, while Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said that the honeymoon period for the new Canadian-born Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs is over, and that he hopes the new crime initiatives would soon be implemented.