In the wake of a surge in gun-related violence, including a fatal shooting in the upscale Valsayn area, Trinidad and Tobago grapples with heightened security concerns. The incident, which claimed the life of 36-year-old Miguel Lawrence in the Valpark Shopping Plaza carpark, occurred just hours before the government’s planned extension of the state of emergency (SoE). This tragic event is part of a broader wave of violence that has left four dead in recent days.