A tragic act of armed violence has shaken the community of Marabella after a late-night home invasion left a 13-year-old boy dead and his father and stepmother hospitalized with gunshot wounds. The attack unfolded at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Thursday at the small wooden residence the victim’s family had occupied for the past six months, located along Tramline Road in Union Park East.
Krishan Khanhai, the slain teenager, was pronounced dead by first responders at the scene. His father, Krishna Khanhai (51), and stepmother, Leela Pariag, sustained multiple gunshot injuries during the assault by masked intruders who investigators confirm entered the home with the explicit goal of stealing cash from the family, who worked as local street food vendors selling doubles, a popular local flatbread snack.
Remarkably, a five-year-old child living in the home managed to avoid harm during the chaos. Moments after the gunmen entered, the young child fled through a back exit and ran to a neighbouring property to alert residents, who contacted police immediately.
Responding teams from the Marabella Police Station and the Southern Division Task Force (SDTF) arrived at the scene within 15 minutes of the emergency call. Upon entering the home through the forced open front doorway, officers found Krishan’s body on the living room floor, alongside the two wounded adults. SDTF officers quickly transported the injured pair to San Fernando General Hospital, where they are reported to be in stable condition as of Friday morning. The unharmed five-year-old has since been placed in the care of extended family members, per police statements.
Crime scene investigators from the Region Three Homicide Bureau of Investigations and Southern Division forensics teams subsequently processed the scene, recovering three spent 9-millimeter shell casings from the interior of the home. No other weapons or evidence of additional struggle outside the residence was found in initial searches.
When local reporters from the Express visited the property on Friday afternoon, the home’s doors were locked and no family members were present at the site. Neighbors who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity said the family had kept to themselves since moving into the neighborhood six months prior, with most residents only recognizing them from their daily food vending work on nearby Union Road.
WPC La Rode, the lead detective assigned to the case from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, has confirmed that investigations are ongoing. Police have not yet announced any arrests or identified persons of interest in connection with the shooting, and are appealing to any members of the public who were in the Tramline Road area between 11 p.m. and midnight Thursday to come forward with any information that could aid the investigation.