A wave of violence swept across Trinidad and Tobago during the final hours of 2025, with four separate homicides recorded between December 30-31. The incidents occurred in multiple locations, claiming lives from various communities and bringing the year’s murder toll to 368—a significant decrease from 2024’s 626 cases.
In the Southern Division, 40-year-old Gary Griffith of Tarouba Heights was ambushed near his Derek Murray Drive residence shortly before 11 pm on December 30. Eyewitnesses reported a white vehicle pulling alongside the victim before occupants opened fire, striking Griffith multiple times. Despite rapid response from Marabella police units and medical transportation to San Fernando General Hospital, Griffith succumbed to his injuries by 11:29 pm.
Simultaneously in Laventille, 47-year-old Shawn McLean met a tragic end in his parked vehicle at Upper Wharton Street. The victim had just returned from an errand when assailants targeted him in his own yard around 9 pm. McLean, who maintained residences in both Laventille and Morvant, was discovered slumped behind the steering wheel.
Early on December 31, violence claimed another life in El Socorro when 76-year-old Gobin Deonarine was shot while playing cards with companions near his Persad Lane home. At approximately 1:20 am, a motorcycle-riding gunman approached the gathering and opened fire, fatally wounding the elderly man. Despite emergency transfer to Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Deonarine was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The island of Tobago witnessed its tenth homicide of 2025 with the killing of 26-year-old sanitation worker Jerome Woods. The Tobago House of Assembly employee was discovered with gunshot wounds at his Blackman Trace rental apartment in Delaford on December 31 morning. The tragedy prompted emotional response from PNM electoral candidate Shonae John, who publicly appealed for peace and community solidarity through social media platforms.
Unconfirmed reports additionally suggested a fifth potential victim recovered from a Morvant Junction river, though authorities had not verified these claims by press time.