PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – A shocking daylight mass shooting that left three people dead, including a two-year-old toddler, has sparked intense political backlash in Trinidad and Tobago, with former prime minister Stuart Young calling for the immediate resignation of two top cabinet members over the government’s failure to curb rising violent crime.
The deadly attack unfolded Thursday in Morvant, a suburban community on the outskirts of the capital Port of Spain, cutting short the lives of Anthony Wilson, Akil Kafi, and Kafi’s two-year-old son Akinni. A fourth victim, the toddler’s mother, survived the shooting and remains hospitalized for treatment. The violence comes just one month after an almost identical drive-by shooting in the same neighborhood left three more people dead, including 8-year-old J’layna Armstrong – an attack that already sparked nationwide outrage over unregulated gang and gun violence.
As of the latest updates, law enforcement officials say they have not found any conclusive evidence linking the two back-to-back mass shooting incidents in Morvant. Deputy Police Commissioner Suzette Martin, speaking to reporters on site shortly after the shooting, condemned the attack as an unforgivable, senseless tragedy that has sown fear across local communities and the entire nation.
“Four people were shot, three have died including an innocent child, and one is still receiving urgent care. This is a tragic and senseless act of violence,” Martin told reporters. She confirmed that specialized investigative teams have already been deployed to the area to pursue leads, though details remain under wraps at this sensitive stage of the probe. The country is currently under a national state of emergency implemented to curb a surge in gun-related crime, a measure Martin said police are actively leveraging to tackle widespread violent activity.
Amid ongoing public grief and anger, Martin urged residents to resist taking justice into their own hands, instead calling on anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and cooperate with investigators. “We want to assure the public that we are working diligently to solve this case. We will release more information as the investigation progresses,” she added.
Young, who serves as the parliamentary representative for the Morvant area and is a leader of the opposition, issued a scathing rebuke of the ruling Kamla Persad Bissessar administration in a public Facebook post following the shooting. He said he was furious, heartbroken, and deeply disturbed by the latest atrocity, noting that the attack was carried out in broad daylight in a residential neighborhood.
“It is clear that the Kamla Persad Bissessar government has no actual crime plan beyond relying on states of emergency, which we have long said cannot be a long-term solution to our national crime crisis,” Young wrote. He is demanding the immediate resignations of Defence Minister Wayne Sturge and Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, arguing that the persistent wave of deadly violence proves the government’s security leadership has failed. Young also condemned an un-named junior government minister for what he described as a recent racist rant targeting his Morvant constituents, calling the comment an added insult to injury for a community already reeling from repeated loss of life.
Closing his statement, Young offered sincere condolences to the families and friends of Akinni and the other two victims, urging residents to dismiss what he called the government’s “crass and heartless” comments. “I pray that God intervenes and blesses our nation of Trinidad and Tobago,” he wrote.