on the scene: Onlookers gather behind the crime scene tape yesterday at Curepe, where Donna Noel was shot dead
and police officer Shawn James was found with a bullet wound to the head. -Photo: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANK
POLICE are investigating the deaths of police constable and his wife whose bodies were found at her workplace in Curepe yesterday afternoon.
Lying next to her, but still alive at the time, was her husband-an officer with 19 years’ service. He later died at hospital. Both had gunshot wounds to the head.
Police said late last night they suspected a case of murder-suicide.
Donna Noel, 47, a secretary at the office of Dr Wahid Mohammed, in the same building that houses the Curepe Medical Centre on the Eastern Main Road, was found dead by police after they received calls from people in the area who reported hearing shots coming from within the building.
Shawn James, who was attached to the Besson Street Police Station, was also said to be in his 40s.
He was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) at Mt Hope and died last night after undergoing emergency surgery.
He suffered from a gunshot wound to the right side of the head before the bullet exited the left side.
The weapon used was believed to have been James’s Police Service revolver, as it was found next to both bodies, close to the bathroom area of the office.
Police said there were no eyewitnesses, as no one else was in the building at the time.
Pedestrians who were in the area at the time of the shooting said they had seen James enter the building around 1.35 p.m., after which they overheard what may have been an argument, just before the shots rang out.
Police said the couple lived at Harper Circular Road, D’abadie, but when the Express visited the address given, no one could confirm that the couple lived there.
Noel was rumoured to have been pregnant, but this too could not be confirmed.
A team of officers, including Snr Supt Rajendranath Maharaj and Supt David Abraham, visited the scene and conducted enquiries.
Just metres away is the Royal Castle outlet where 32-year-old security officer Ricardo Jason Duncan entered on September 17 last year, in full view of other customers, and pumped six bullets into the body of Adwoa Nefertiti Grant, 25, after a heated argument.
Grant reportedly refused to rekindle the relationship they once had.
After riddling the woman’s body with bullets and killing her on the spot, Duncan then knelt next to her body, bowed his head, cried, placed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
It is a sad day in Trinidad when a police officer who swore an oath to protect and serve could commit such a crime of this nature. You would think that they would seek to at least protect their love ones with a lot more compassion. Utter shame on the entire police service of trinidad and tobago no more excuses you guys you all are a sorry bunch of hypocrits with no law and order and self respect. No wonder why the nation has no respect for you all in that uniform anymore. The only way you losers can gain respect is by walking and waving that piece of metal in front of you.
ouch ! a bit hard on every one ..arent you ? please don't throw out the baby with the bath water !!! however , i understand how you came to that conclusion but i know for a fact their are still some officers that work very hard and do a good job regardless of their limitations ... These crimes of passion are committed all over the world unfortunately ,and is always very sad.My hope and pray for the future is that men can find a way to "accept " and "walk away" .. easier said than done ..but if somekind of therapy or anger control or lectures on how to deal with domestice issues are provided sooner rather than later .then maybe ,just maybe some of these women and men lives could be saved,In the mean time we can all speak to our friends an family about these issues and let them know they can always talk to us anytime they feel "overwhelmed" ..let them know "it"S ok to feel fear and hurt " but in time the pain will go away ..
To serve and protect, that's the pledge these cops take when they're instated as police officers. Yet here is this cop shooting his wife and then himself.Think about it...
If this cop was unwilling to protect his own wife, how then will he serve and protect the public.The men in Trinidad and Tobago need to attend classes in anger management and conflict-resolution.
It seems whether they are civilians or public servants they handle a lot of their stress by resorting to violence with a gun or some other available weapon. I hope Mr Manning will incorporate in his vision 20/20 that all schools teach these mandatory anger &conflict resolution courses to the nation's youngsters starting from age five and up. These negative behaviors which are learned in childhood can be un-learned and move the nation's younger generation toward a path of non-violence if discovered early in a child's life.
With the crime situation already at record leves in T&T, the cops themselves are under a lot of stress and they need these courses more than anybody else.
Toronto-Trini
I am quite used to news stories like this now.I live in North America, another society that seems to be unravelling at the seams, with domestic violence being one aspect of its chaos. Men take their wives out, or take them out with a gun.
Once again, this act shows the need for counselling men in areas of domestic relations.if he had someone to whom he could talk,confidentially, without it seeming to hold back his career, this may not have happened. First there was the shootout at headquarters, followed by the one at the office of the PM during the Panday regime, then one at the St. Joseph police station,now this.
This is also good reason NOT to arm people for their own protection, not businessmen, not anyone. If trained police officers can crack under pressure, what of the rest of the population? That armed "businessman" could turn the gun on a spendthrift wife, or a difficult adolescent son or daughter.
More counselling. Less shooting, in God's name.
Men too, need to learn that when a relationship ends, move on with your life.
There are idiots in every profession. Policemen are suppose to be perfect? I think not. Sorry the idiot had to kill his wife. He should of just left like the idiot he was without taking anyone with him. Conflict resolution training is needed in Trinidad desperately. Just having a simply discourse with a relative of mine, she disagrees with my point and she is ready to shove her opinion down my throat. People like that, I just back off. I don't deal with that kind of ignorance.SeeDeSea
while it is true that some men have anger problem.
one have to ask why?
do you think it is easy to come home and put up with some of these women constantly abusing the man?
I will like to say the person with the second comment does not know what murder\suicide is.Why does the police service have to be blame for it.This kind of situation is depression,rejection and ignorance of an idividual to accept things that hurt the heart.As a parent Iam a victim of this but not as fatal.What goes on in a
person lives is not responsibility of his employer.only good counselling can
change fatal reactions.If this person will check news from around the world you will see articles of much high class
persons who have done the same thing.Only yesterday in Pittsburgh USA a man killed and open fire in a GYM with women because he could not find a woman.
To all of you who wish to pass judgment on this tradegy, know that passing judgement is the easy part. All it takes is a thought. I knew Shawn James; he sat next to me in class at high school. I knew him as an adult....a fine man he was....an upstanding citizen and police officer and this whole incident is a tradegy all round.
Shawn as a galant and valiant officer of the law, who protected and served his fellowmen and citizens. Shawn's tradegy can happen to anyone. None of you are obsolved from the human emotions that are possible in extreme situations. Remember...do not throw stones.
Shawn's life was one surrounded by violence and lived with it on a daily basis. He may not have had the mechanism (emotionally) to deal with the stress of a domestic situation (this is obvious), however, all we have a duty to do, as he is a brother of all of us, is to pray for his soul and that of his wife. Do not judge that which you do not know. Peace.
Firstly my sister was not 47 she was 45 and next month she would have been 46. Secondly just being judgemental about what women do to men. My sister was a quiet church going woman.Every body has their attitude so don't sit there and tell me about stress...I work in a field with I think just as much stress as cops, but you don't see me taking a gun and shooting people. If he didn't want to live just shoot yourself in the head and leave my sister to live.
I knew Shawn and it had to have a reason for him to lose it so as to commit such an act, and all of you trying to judge him shut up and judge yourselves. Noone is perfect and put yourselves in his shoes and lets see what you would of done. My heart goes out to his daughter that he has left behind. Love always shawn wherever you are. 13175
This is a situation for all to learn from. I knew shaun's second ex-wife he put that woman through hell, what we sow we reap, it's sad to know that this is the way it ended for him and Donna.
I am a woman, and beleive me when i say i feel sik every time i hear these things, because growing up i had to watch that stinking mad called step father beat the living day light out of my mother, chair wood anything he got his hads on. Please men i am begging you please leave our women alone, you all are not God,stop taking our lives you did not give it God did!
To the sister and her family, your sister may your sister rest in peace and may that wicked police man rot in hell. take care of yourself and family
that is no excuse to put a gun to a woman head and kill her, if you can't make it all you have to do is move out or move on with your life, he could of left the lady they both might of had a better relationship with someone else. PLEASE MEN IT WILL BE SO EASY IF YOU JUST WALK AWAY.(because you all nags us too.
When we are in tumultuous relationships we have to dig deep.Do some serious soul searching and decide what is really important, necessary, what and who we are living for. This is really sad. we have to learn to walk and when I say walk, I mean get up turn your back, pack your bags and walk away.
I knew this guy and all I can say is this is sad. Walk away. Taking another person's live is not the solution, what about the children left behind? This is so sad. I feel for this girl and her family, thier children.
This can happen to anyone of us, whether it be cop or not...something set of the trigger in him....and that is where Trinidad need to get support for their officers, such as
Help Lines,Psychiatrist, Marriage Counsellors, Doctors etc.
Some of these officers see horrific things daily and they go home to their family....they are men not machine.
I am in the nursing field, and we see things as well, some you can't forget.
This is just a suggestion.....Trinigirl (Toronto)
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