One of the nieces of Wendell Kevon Pierre held on to her head and screamed “No, no, no,” in disbelief as she viewed his body on the ground at 107 Tarodale Gardens, San Fernando, shortly after 2.30 am yesterday.
As a male relative lifted her bodily and removed her from the scene, she continued to question why someone would want to kill her uncle.
“He was a decent man. He was not involved in any crime, he never had no conviction. We can only assume he was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said in an interview around midday, as she tried to come to terms with his death.
It was a sentiment shared by Pierre’s fiancé, Melinda, to whom he was expected to married later this year.
Pierre, a father of two, was one of two people killed by unknown gunmen while playing a game of cards with a group of men. The other victim was 16-year old Jabarie Etienne, who died at the San Fernando General Hospital around 4 am from gunshot wounds to his chest.
Police believe the teenager may have been the real target, as the assailants ran behind him as he tried to escape. No one was at Etienne’s home when the T&T Guardian visited yesterday.
One of Pierre’s brothers explained the circumstances leading to the shooting.
“My nephew called and told me to come up the road, Kevon now got shoot and he feel he dead. We heard he was playing cards when two fellers came up from the street behind and just start to open shots. He was one of two fellers who picked up shots. He died right here. The other youth man who pick up shots, he died at the hospital.”
The relative, who did not want to be identified, said they had no motive or reason for the killing.
“We don’t know the real reason. It’s not like they take anything from them, not like no robbery, no revenge or nothing,” he said.
He said while his brother collapsed and died shortly after running a short distance away, the assailants ran behind young Etienne and pumped bullets into him before they escaped. He further explained that Pierre, 34, a construction worker, did not live in Tarodale but in Chaguanas.
“My big brother got a small job in Marabella to do and he called Kevon to come down this weekend and help him. If wasn’t for that he would not have been here and this would not be the outcome. It is not the easiest thing to deal with,” he said.
Melinda said the last worlds Pierre said to her as he was leaving their home on Saturday morning were, “Melinda ah leaving. I will see you when I come back.”
She said she never anticipated that she would get a call saying he was dead.
“I bawled and cried, I was in shock. He was a good man. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Melinda said.
Their killings took the toll for the year to 223 up to last evening. Investigations are continuing.