Murder Rate In One Caribbean Nation Now At 200

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY., Fri. July 16, 2021: The murder rate in one Caribbean nation has reached 200 so far this year, with 8 alone killed in one day.

The murder rate in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago reached 200 yesterday following the murder of 8 people.

Eight people were murdered at three locations between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. in Arima and St Augustine and police say the killings are connected and are apparently reprisal gang killings.

In Arima, the victims were identified as Teshera McKenna, 39, her son Jordan McKenna, 19, and his friend Jeremiah DeFreitas, 18. In St Augustine, the victims were identified as Jasper Jones, 32 Matthew “Ming” Pereira, Amanda Mohammed, 39, and Mustapha Mohammed 44.

One man remains unidentified.

T&T Police Service data released for this year show there were 25 murders in January 27 in February and 31 in March followed by 32 in April and 29 in May even as the country remains in a state of lock-down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s 144 in the five months of 2021.

The additional 56 occurred in June to date, July 15, 2021.