A senseless act of violence has cut short the life of a young mother in northeast Trinidad, leaving her community reeling and law enforcement searching for answers. On a routine weekday morning yesterday, 30-year-old Shennel Lewis left her Sangre Grande residence, intending to catch a ride to her workplace – what unfolded minutes later was a targeted attack that left her dead at the scene.
According to local police reports, the tragedy unfolded shortly before 10 a.m. Lewis, a lifelong resident of the Brooklyn Settlement’s Bridge Road neighborhood, was walking toward McGillvary Road to access public transit. Her own sport utility vehicle was in the shop for repairs that morning, forcing her to make the trip on foot instead of driving herself.
As she reached the street corner, a white Nissan Tiida pulled up alongside her. A male suspect stepped out of the car, drew a hidden firearm, and fired two shots at Lewis at close range before quickly getting back into the vehicle and fleeing the area. Lewis collapsed to the pavement immediately after the shooting and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbors and family members who heard the gunfire rushed to the site within seconds and contacted police emergency services. Officers from the Sangre Grande Police Department and a medical ambulance arrived minutes later, but there was nothing medical personnel could do to revive her.
Soon after the shooting, investigators from the Region Two Homicide Bureau and the Crime Scene Unit were dispatched to process the scene and collect forensic evidence. As of yesterday evening, law enforcement officials confirmed they have not yet identified a clear motive for the killing, nor have they announced any suspects in the case.
When local media outlet Trinidad Express visited Lewis’ family home yesterday afternoon, grieving relatives had already gathered to mourn the loss. The family initially declined to comment on the shooting, but roughly 15 minutes later, a man identifying himself as Lewis’ uncle spoke on behalf of the family to share details about her life.
Lewis was a devoted mother to one child, and held a college degree in fitness education, her uncle shared. “She was a very nice, educated woman who had her whole life ahead of her. A very good person,” he said, adding that she was born and raised in the Sangre Grande area and had never given his family any reason to expect violence would find her. He also confirmed he did not have details on her specific employer at the time of her death.
This latest homicide pushes the total murder toll across Trinidad and Tobago for the current year to 229 as of last night. By comparison, the murder count at the same point last year stood at 234, marking a small year-over-year decrease in total homicides despite the high number of deadly violence incidents recorded this year.