Vincentian man gunned down in Trinidad

Investigations are ongoing into the shooting death of a Vincentian man in Trinidad and Tobago on December 29, 2013.{{more}}

Dead is Verlon “Vincy” Tash, who, according to the Guardian newspaper, was shot in the road around 8 a.m., when a gunman walked up to him and opened fire, hitting him several times about the upper body, before escaping.

According to the article, relatives of the slain Vincentian believe he was killed for looking like a Muslim, in an ongoing war between Muslims and Rastafarians in East Port of Spain.

Residents along Argyle Street called police when they found Tash lying along the roadway. He was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A female relative of Tash told the Guardian that Tash, 32, was in the island for only two weeks before being killed.

The woman said Tash had a “Muslim beard” and they believed that was his death warrant, the article reports. The article further reads that the woman said she met Tash one year ago in Tobago when he was staying at a mutual friend’s home.

About two weeks ago, she convinced him to come to Trinidad. The woman said she and other friends found a place for him at Argyle Street, Belmont, and a job at a National Petroleum (NP) gas station at Maraval Road.

The story also indicates that Tash had two T-shirts, one of which was his NP work jersey, one pair of pants and a pair of sneakers; that was all he owned.