In a shocking early morning incident that has shaken a close-knit Port of Spain community, a 38-year-old local woman was gunned down in her vehicle on Tuesday, as two armed robbers attempted to hijack the truck she called home. The violent encounter unfolded around 7 a.m. near Achong Street, directly across from the John John Towers residential complex, according to official police statements.
Investigators outlined that Jameelia Lewis, who had been living out of her black Isuzu D-Max pickup after facing personal hardship, was seated in the parked vehicle when the two assailants approached. The pair gained entry through the unlocked passenger door and moved immediately to pull Lewis out of the truck, in what law enforcement suspects was a targeted vehicle theft. When Lewis resisted their attempt to force her from the only shelter she had, one of the attackers opened fire, striking her four times at close range. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and the two gunmen fled the area empty-handed—they did not manage to steal the vehicle or any other belongings.
The crime was not discovered until commuters driving into central Port of Spain spotted the truck pockmarked with bullet holes and alerted local authorities. Responding units from the Besson Street Police Station, the Region One Homicide Bureau, and the national Crime Scene Unit arrived promptly to secure and process the location. After forensic teams completed their work, Lewis’ remains were transported to a local mortuary in East Port of Spain for autopsy.
Lewis had deep roots in the John John neighborhood; she was originally from Foster Street, just a short walk from the site of her killing, and remained connected to the community even after she lost housing. Neighbors who knew her for decades described her as a warm, resilient woman who chose to stay close to her childhood home despite her circumstances.
Isaiah James, a childhood friend of Lewis, recalled that he heard the gunshots that killed her Tuesday morning. “She used to sleep in the van but she was still close to home in a kind of way,” James shared. He explained that Lewis had experienced devastating personal loss three years prior, when her three children—an 18-year-old son, and two daughters aged 16 and 13—were placed into state custody. The separation from her children left a profound emotional impact on her, he said. Like other community members, James believes Lewis fought back against the attackers to protect her vehicle, the only major possession she had left, and that her resistance prompted the fatal shooting. “She was a tough person,” he noted.
Another neighbor clarified that the children were removed from Lewis’ care after she fell behind on enrolling them in school, and that she fell into deep depression following the separation. They rejected any characterization of Lewis as unstable, explaining “She wasn’t mad, yuh know. She was simply the kind of person who wanted to live off the land and in the bush.” Lewis parked her truck near the neighborhood specifically because she felt safe there, the neighbor added. A third community member added that Lewis had recently started gathering discarded wooden pallets to build a small makeshift shelter close to her regular parking spot, as she worked to establish more stable housing for herself near the community she loved.
As of this incident, the national murder toll for the current year stands at 228. This marks a small six-person decrease from the same point last year, when the toll hit 234.