A MAN who was freed of murder last year was one of two men killed in separate shooting incidents on Thursday night.

The fatal shootings at Morvant and Belmont both occurred around 9.30 p.m., police said.

In the Morvant incident, former murder accused Anthony ’Redman’ Mangaroo was shot dead while walking along Sawmill Avenue.

According to police reports, a heavily-tinted car pulled alongside Mangaroo, and three men, two armed with pistols and one with a shotgun, came out the vehicle and opened fire on him. Mangaroo died on the spot.

On September 19 last year, Mangaroo was part of a trio who were freed of the killing of a D’abadie mason some eight years ago.

In September 2001, 21-year-old Roger Williams, of Mora Street Extension, D’abadie, died as a result of a stab wound to the neck.

Later that same year, Mangaroo, along with brothers Anderson and Kevin Hall, were all charged with the fatal stabbing of Williams.

Williams was fatally stabbed on September 5, 2001, and his killing was the 92nd murder for that year.

However, on September 19 last year, the State discontinued its case against the trio after the main witness in the murder trial, Roger Smith, admitted that he had lied in his statements to investigating officers.

Mangaroo was listed as the 347th murder for this year.

And almost at the same time Mangaroo was shot dead, Colin ’Spy’ David, 34, was fatally shot while at his neighbour’s home at Manilla Road in Belmont.

According to police, David, a known gang member, was shot some nine times while inside the home of his friend.

David was said to have belonged to a gang in the area that was once headed by murder victim Joel ’Snake Eye’ Phillip.

Phillip, 34, was fatally shot at his father-in-law’s home at Temple Street, Gonzales, on July 12. Phillip’s father-in-law Devanand Rajcoomar, 51, was also killed during that incident.

Officers from the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) are investigating the 348th murder for the year.