(Trinidad Express) Trinidad and Tobago: A sub-machine gun was the weapon used to kill a police constable at his Arouca home early on Tuesday. And a soldier was shot dead by men who broke into his Wallerfield home.
Dead is Constable Jason John who was assigned to the Court and Process Division of the Port of Spain magistrates’ Court.
Police said that shortly after midnight, John was walking to his home at Five Rivers, Arouca.
Police said he was on his cell phone speaking with his wife when she heard gunshots.
John was found a short time later with bullet wounds. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Defence Force Corporal Jerry Leacock was killed at around 5.30 am.
Police said Leacock was shot in the chest when he confronted four men who had broken into his home at Jacob Hill, Wallerfield.
The killers escaped in Leacock’s car, a red coloured Nissan Versa.
Last month, Constable Anson Benjamin died after being shot in the head while responding to a burglary report at Corinth Village, San Fernando. His killing remains unsolved.
In response to the killings, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon issued the following statement:
The Minister of National Security, Major General (Ret’d) the Honourable Edmund Dillon is strongly condemning the slaying of two (2) servicemen which occurred overnight and also of those officers whose lives were cut short at the hands of criminals in the past.
Minister Dillon is expressing condolences this morning to the families of Special Reserve Police Constable Jason Cyril John of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Corporal Jerry Leacock of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.
The Minister noted that criminal attacks will not be tolerated against the protectors of this country’s laws and Constitution, and he will do all that needs to be done as he leads the fight to annihilate the menace to society.
Minister Dillon underscored that law enforcement agencies must do what is required within the law and focus their crime fighting efforts on ridding Trinidad and Tobago of the scourge of a few deadly criminal elements bent on destroying this country and depriving the many of their right to safety and security.
Early this morning Minister Dillon summoned all Operational Heads from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF), the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and the Intelligence Agencies to an emergency Operations Meeting to reinforce the execution of the Ministry of National Security’s crime fighting strategies. The Operations Meeting focused on deterrence, detection and prosecution.
