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Villagers are now running scared following a beach party shooting at Icacos which left two villagers nursing gunshot wounds on Friday night.
The shooting took place around 8.20 pm during the party, which was held as part of the St Peter’s Day celebrations.
According to a police source, loud explosions were heard and people began scampering for safety.
Darian Schneider, 24, and Rigel Dookie, 22, both fishermen, were later found wounded and bleeding. Schneider was shot in his head while Dookie was shot twice on the shoulder.
Both men were warded in a stable condition at the San Fernando General Hospital last evening.
Villagers said yesterday that the gunman emerged from the bushes. Schneider’s older brother Damiean recalled that “the whole village was there” and everyone was having a good time.
“Everybody was drinking and liming, enjoying themselves. All of a sudden a man just start to shoot up in the crowd.
“The place was dark so I could not see the person. People start to run and scream and when he leave I see my brother bleeding and Rigel.”
He said his brother was lucky as the bullet only grazed him near his ear and he was doing well.
Damiean anticipated that the incident would have an impact on the other activities, as villagers would be too afraid to attend the events.
Cedros councillor Shankar Teelucksingh said two weeks ago during a police community meeting, the police were warned that “we were seeing signs that something of this nature would take place” because of a few incidents in the area.
He said recently there was a shooting at sea near the Fullerton shoreline and a large drug bust and shootout at Granville.
“Their response is that the TTPS don’t have the resources and they have to get the instructions from the National Security Council, which is headed by our Prime Minister and our MP for Point Fortin, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon.
“Our police are lacking vehicles, equipment and manpower.
“With no assistance and resources from the ministry, Coast Guard and army...this could have been a fatality.
“Three people could have died in Icacos with the failure of the Minister of National Security, who is also the MP, taking charge. Mr Dillon needs to get up, put on his boots, come down and take charge of his men.”
In a similar incident in September 2015, two gunmen opened fire during a street party at Lover’s Lane, Cedros, killing two people and injuring six others.
Insp Nemai and Sgt Persad of the South Western Division Task Force and other officers visited the scene in this weekend’s incident.
Sgt Persad is investigating.