Four months after the capture of Azmon Alexander—the country’s most wanted man—fear and panic have gripped the community of Brasso Seco once again following the shooting of villagers Alexis Hernandez and Jerone Charlerie. The shooting took place just when residents had begun to regain some normalcy in their lives and come to terms with the deaths of fellow villagers Irma Rampersad, her 14 month-old-granddaughter Shania Amoroso and family friend Felix Martinez who went missing last October.
Rampersad’s abducted teenage daughters Felicia and Janelle were also rescued by police last November. Alexander who was deemed a person of interest in the disappearance of the five individuals was captured by police shortly after. Yesterday, president of the Brasso Seco/Paria Village Council Anthony Marchan held an emergency meeting at the Brasso Seco Community Centre with residents to discuss their safety.
Marchan said he intended to write acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams for a mobile police post in the community. He said days after the three victims were buried the police packed up and left the community centre, which they had occupied for weeks when they were hunting for Alexander.
Self-imposed curfew
“Everyone is feeling uneasy as a result of the shooting. We thought when the police captured Azmon the village would have returned to normalcy, but we are reliving the fear and panic again. No one is feeling safe,” Marchan said. “We need the police to return to the community to ensure law and order,” he pleaded. Marchan said villagers had imposed a curfew on themselves by locking windows, wrought iron gates and doors by 6 pm. They are also avoiding going out at nights.
“Once again villagers are living like prisoners in their own homes and running scared,” said one resident, who requested anonymity. Community elder Norma Cooper-Duntin expressed concern that the village was being overrun by strangers, some of whom were destroying their community. “I am fearful because you don’t know what next will happen,” 84-year-old Cooper-Duntin said.
On March 20, Charlerie said, the peace on Madamas Road was shattered when someone fired a shot at them while they were leaving a birthday bash. Charlerie said seven of the shotgun’s slugs pierced his legs, while Hernandez was struck multiple times on his hands and legs. Villagers rushed both men to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, where they were kept overnight and discharged the next day.
Unsolved murder
“The gunman ambushed us from the back and pulled the trigger. All I felt was a burning sensation in my right leg and when I looked down I saw blood gushing from a wound. I realised I was shot. I never expected this,” Charlerie said. “I am trying to keep a low profile. I would feel a lot better if this person is apprehended. It is not a nice feeling to be looking over your back all the time.” Both men told investigating officer Cpl Boney of the Blanchisseuse Police Station they did not see their shooter, who escaped in the bushes.
But villagers say the shooting is linked to a woman and the death of villager and farmer Phillip Noreiga. “It’s no secret Phillip shot a well-known criminal in his arm over the woman, who was also in a relationship with one of Phillip’s friends. While the criminal who frequents the village was recovering from his injuries he kept sending death threats to Phillip and three of his friends, one of whom is Hernandez. But they never reported the matter to the police,” one villager said.
Last August, Phillip was gunned down while on his way to his field. “The police did not do enough in bringing Phillip’s killer to justice. It became another unsolved murder,” another villager said.