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MERE days after Justin “Max” Pierre’s grandmother warned him about his lifestyle, unknown gunmen shot and killed him along the street at Oropune Gardens, Oropune, on Saturday afternoon.
Police found Pierre, 32, of Righteous Lane, Pinto Road, Arima, at 4.50 pm lying in the carpark of Building 8A with gunshot wounds to the body and face, five minutes after he was shot and robbed of a gold chain.
Police are unsure if Pierre was robbed by his attackers after he was shot or by a resident who found him moments later.
District medical officer Dr Jurawan visited the scene, viewed the body and pronounced Pierre dead on the scene. His body was taken to the Forensic Sciences Centre for an autopsy.
Police recovered a gold bracelet he had on one of his hands.
Officers from Region 2 Homicide Bureau of Investigations are continuing inquiries into the murder.
One of Pierre’s feet was broken during the shooting and crime-scene investigators recovered ten spent 40 cal shell casings at the scene.
Police told Newsday Pierre was recently released from prison.
A relative at Pierre’s family’s home in Arima confirmed Pierre was charged with murder eight years ago and was released from prison in under one year.
The male relative denied Pierre was a pest, as described by neighbours Newsday spoke with. He believed his death happened out of envy and jealously.
He said Pierre was getting into agriculture and was “real talented with his hands.”
He said the family was struggling to cope with the death and Pierre’s grandmother would be unable to speak at that moment.
Newsday noticed that a rear window for one of the vehicles in the yard was shattered with what looked like a piece of concrete near the bumper. When asked about it, the man said someone came into the yard, four days ago, and damaged the vehicle. He, however, did not feel the incident was connected to Pierre’s murder.
But speaking to Newsday a few moments later, Pierre’s grandmother admitted that her grandson’s refusal to take her advice cost him his life.
She said he continued to associate with criminal elements even after he was released from prison.
The woman, who didn’t want to be named, spoke with Newsday minutes after the male relative went inside through the back of the house.
She came out through the front door onto to front porch.
When Newsday greeted her from the street and sent condolences to the family, she replied, “I fed up talk. I just talk and talk and I fed up talking to him (Pierre). He didn’t listen.”
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“To me, it’s like I talking to him, but like his head wasn’t right. He telling me, ‘It’s not the people, like with their pants down here so, that doing crime. It’s the people with jacket and tie.
“I told him: ‘I didn’t tell you about that. I don’t want to know that. I just telling you go by your (calls name of relative).’
“But like something wasn’t right with him. I tell him keep out of trouble. Don’t go and lime with them boys in the back there. Come out from there.”
She said Pierre’s father also spoke with him about his lifestyle.
“He (Pierre) keep telling a set of lies –lies, lies, lies. The he stopped coming by me and he said I don’t like him. But it wasn’t that. I call the father and talked to the father but it’s like the father couldn’t even control him.”
Her message to young men involved in crime and criminality was short and simple.
“Keep yourself out of trouble. Find a church and go there.”
But just as she was about to continue the male relative came outside shouting: “I thought I talk to allyuh already! I aint talk to allyuh already? Okay, okay,wait.”
As he said this he turned around and walked briskly to the back of the house. As frightening as his hostility was, the woman didn’t seem alarmed by it.
Newsday left the yard and area immediately.