PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Caribbean Media Corporation – Four days after a brazen attack on a Trinidad police station left an acting officer dead and a large cache of weapons stolen, national law enforcement authorities announced Wednesday that a serving 28-year-old municipal police officer will face murder charges over the shocking incident, which senior officials have labeled an act of internal betrayal that traumatized the entire nation.
In an official statement, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) confirmed that acting on legal guidance from Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard SC, the municipal officer will also face three additional felony counts: robbery with violence, firearms trafficking, and illegal possession of ammunition.
Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro praised the investigative team for their rapid, detail-oriented work, noting that the operation aligned with the strict professional standards the TTPS upholds across all units. He emphasized that the swift progress has moved the case closer to delivering justice for the family and colleagues of slain acting Corporal Anusha Eversley, as well as for a public shaken by the breach of public trust.
Guevarro stressed that the corrupt actions of a small number of officers do not represent the wider force, adding that the oath of office binds all law enforcement personnel, regardless of whether they serve in municipal, transit, estate, special reserve or regular police units, to a higher public duty. “The lure of greed and quick money can never justify the betrayal of public trust,” he said. “For those who choose corruption and criminality, we will leave no stone unturned to remove you from among the officers who risk their lives daily to protect our citizens.” In a pointed closing remark, Guevarro reaffirmed the TTPS’s commitment to rooting out rogue officers, noting the service would continue to hold the line on the integrity of the police badge.
As the multi-pronged investigation moves forward, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander told the Senate Tuesday that law enforcement has detained 10 people connected to the attack, including a 16-year-old minor. Authorities have officially classified the incident as a major national security breach, and Alexander confirmed that investigative teams have worked around the clock since Sunday’s attack to crack the case.
Alexander told legislators that all 10 detainees, ranging in age from 16 to 33, remain in police custody, and investigators have already recovered a large portion of the stolen firearms and ammunition. Recovered weapons include one MPX submachine gun, four shotguns, one revolver, and 39 pistols, alongside 900 rounds of ammunition, 39 pistol magazines and one MPX magazine.
With the investigation still in a sensitive phase awaiting further direction from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Alexander confirmed that the police leadership has already moved to implement sweeping, immediate institutional reforms to prevent similar breaches. Key changes include strict new accountability protocols for firearms storage and security, designed to close gaps that allowed the deadly attack.
The Homeland Security Minister assured the upper chamber of parliament that the attack on the municipal police precinct remains the top priority for the national security apparatus, with all available resources deployed to wrap up the investigation as quickly as possible.
In an update on a separate high-profile fatal shooting incident, Alexander told senators that police are also making progress in the quadruple murder that unfolded Sunday in the outlying community of Morvant. The attack, which saw gunmen open fire on a moving vehicle, left eight-year-old J’layna Armstrong among the dead. Alexander said that intelligence-led proactive patrols and increased surveillance are already in place to maintain community calm, several suspects have been taken into custody, and specialized units have been deployed to the area specifically to mitigate the risk of retaliatory gang violence.