SEAN Baptiste, who was beaten unconscious near his home in Ste Madeleine last Thursday, was on Tuesday taken off life support at the Intensive Care Unit of the Port of Spain General Hospital.

His neighbour and childhood friend, Kevin Ellis, who witnessed the beating, was shot and killed on Monday after giving police a statement implicating several suspects.

Police are searching for four men—at least one believed involved in both killings.

On Tuesday, doctors told Baptiste's family he was brain-dead.

That night several of his relatives were given the opportunity to see him, and then doctors pulled the plug on his life support around 8 p.m., with consent from his family.

His death has been classified as a murder, which takes the tally for the year so far to 46, according to an Express count.

Ellis's mother, Valerie Ellis, said the murdered men were good friends and grew up living opposite to each other at Montgomery Street.

Ellis, 28, was a "PH" taxi-driver, and Baptiste, 33, a construction worker.

"They were very close," she said. "They would have their dispute sometimes, but they would always stay friends."

Valerie Ellis said on the day Baptiste was beaten, her son was at home and heard his screams.

She said her son went over to help, and saw two men beating Ellis. One man was armed with a piece of lumber, and the other with a rock.

The men beat Baptiste until he was unconscious.

When Ellis rushed into the house, the two men fled the scene.

Paramedics took Baptiste to the San Fernando General Hospital.

His injuries were so severe that he was transferred to the Port of Spain General Hospital for treatment by a specialist neurologist.

Valerie Ellis said her son seemed haunted by what had happened to his childhood friend.

"My son couldn't handle it. He said, 'Not Sean, boy. Not Sean.' He said he wanted to tell the police everything what he saw," she said.

Police said Baptiste was beaten because he owed money.

The Express was told that on Monday night, Ellis was at Tarodale Gardens at Ste Madeleine, when he received a call on his cellphone and he went over to Montgomery Street.

Shortly after 7 p.m., Ellis had asked a neighbour for a drink, and was walking away from the house, when he was shot dead by three men.

He died at the scene.