IMPACT ON TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

COP SHOT — Gunmen in brazen attack outside Arima court

A police officer was shot by a group of gunmen in broad daylight outside the Arima Magistrates' Court Tuesday, but he was not their intended target. They were in fact trying to kill a witness in a rape case, soon after the man had testified.

Police Constable Ronnie George of the Arima Police Station was in stable condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt. Hope Tuesday night. He was shot in the buttocks.

The targeted witness was in "protective custody" Tuesday night, according to the police, but they refused to give his name to the media for fear of further attempts on his life.

The three gunmen who tried to shoot him remained at large, but police said they had launched a manhunt for them.

Witnesses said the attack occurred between 10.50 and 11.30 a.m.

An eyewitness told the Express, "Them fellas (gunmen) didn't care. It was like the wild, wild west. I really could not look at the time."

He said there were several people, including women and children standing on the pavement outside the court building, while others were lined up at the front of the building waiting to get in.

All three gunmen were at the Campfire bar, located obliquely opposite the Arima court.

Another eyewitness said that as the witness walked towards the bar he was attacked. He was not injured, but when prisoner escort police officers heard the gunfire, they returned fire at the gunmen.

Another person’s account

He said as the "witness" was walking past a large gate (where the prisoners would enter), he was approached by the three armed men. The gunman in the centre of the three opened fire, and while pursuing their target, the police officer was shot. Officers on duty fired back and the three gunmen fled on foot. One police officer pursued them, firing shots, but the trio still managed to get away.

In the meantime, PC George's colleagues took him to the Arima Health Facility.

A nurse told the Express that his "injuries were really bad" so he had to be moved to Mt. Hope.

All court proceedings were immediately stopped and matters scheduled for hearing were postponed.

Transactions by members of the public within the court were also stopped as court staff were sent home.

Vehicular traffic entering Prince Street, Arima, was diverted into Sorzano Street for a short while, as investigators from the Arima CID visited the scene and gathered evidence. By 1.30 p.m., traffic that had been diverted was allowed to proceed once more as if nothing had happened by the court that morning.

Around Arima, however, it was a different story.

Everyone later spoke about the shooting and the "boldfaceness" of the gunmen. Almost everyone expressed disgust about the incident, citing that "innocent people" could have been killed. (Trinidad Express)