From Caribbean360

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Tuesday June 10, 2014, CMC – Police have confirmed that they shot and killed two cousins, including a 16-year-old athlete, who won a bronze medal at the CARIFTA Games held in the Bahamas last year.

Police public relations officer, Inspector Wayne Mystar said the 16 and 15 year-old cousins were killed during an exchange of gunfire in the Morvant area, along the east west corridor late on Monday.

Police have identified the dead cousins as Hakeem Alexander, 16, who won the medal in the CARIFTA Games and his 15-year-old cousin Tevin Alexander. Hakeem won bronze for Trinidad and Tobago in the boys’ under-17 3,000m event in 9:49.59 at the CARIFTA Games.

So far this year, 26 people have been killed by law enforcement authorities and the director of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), Gillian Lukcy is due to meet with Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams on Wednesday to discuss the incidents of police killings so far this year.

Mystar said members of the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) and the North Eastern Division were responding to reports of gunshots in the Morvant area when on “arrival at Wallace Road, they were greeted with gunfire. The police officers returned fire and two men were shot in the exchange”.

Mystar said the teens were taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital where they were both pronounced dead on arrival.

“Three other suspects related to the shooting were also apprehended and two firearms recovered,” Mystar said.

However, relatives are disputing the police reports saying that the two teens were running toward their grandmother’s home in search of refuge as they were being shot at by a gunman when they were killed by police.

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/trinidad-teen-athlete-and-cousin-killed-by-police?utm_source=Caribbean360%20Newsletters&utm_campaign=49305b31ce-Vol_9_Issue_115_News6_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_350247989a-49305b31ce-39393477