TWO MORE murders, one gang-related and the other a 76-year-old farmer, who was chopped to death, have taken this year's toll to 29, surpassing last year's comparable figure by one.

In the first incident, a 58-year-man became the latest victim of on-going gang warfare between rival groups from Beetham Gardens and Laventille.

The victim, identified as Carlton Weekes, lived at 13th Street, Beetham Gardens.

Police said at 10.45 a.m. yesterday he was standing along the Ready-mix Private Road in Eastern Quarry, Laventille, when he was shot five times by a gunman. He died on the spot.

A team of officers from the Port of Spain Division, including Supt Ajith Persad, along with Insp Sahadeo Singh and Cpl Charles Budri, visited the scene and conducted enquiries.

The body was eventually moved to the Port of Spain Mortuary.

Police said Weekes was killed because he was a Beetham Gardens resident walking through a Laventille neighbourhood.

For the last two weeks, gang warfare between the two communities has been raging which left 12 people nursing gunshot wounds. Two of those victims succumbed to their injuries.

The first of the victims from this new spate of attacks was Kevin Brown, 24, who was gunned down near his Third Street, Beetham Gardens, home on the afternoon of January 12. The attack was followed by a reprisal attack on January 14 at Plaisance Street, John John, where five people, including an 11-year-old boy, was shot. They have all survived this attack.

On the night of January 17, the shootings continued where eight people from Beetham Gardens were shot.

One of the victims of that shooting, Kerry Roget, 40, succumbed to his injuries on Monday.

A suspect from Beetham Gardens has since been arrested in connection with these attacks but has not been charged for any offence.

Police said the other incident, involved the chopping death of a 76-year-old Santa Cruz man, who accused two men of stealing his hot peppers.

Around 1 p.m. police said, Clyde Thomas, of Sosconusco Road, La Pastora, Santa Cruz went to the home of two men in his village and accused them of stealing his crops. He was reportedly attacked by the men with cutlasses.

The men then fled leaving Thomas on the ground. The injured man was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital where he later succumbed to his chop injuries.

Police said they have since arrested one suspect and up to last night they were searching for a second man.

In an unrelated incident, police are yet to identify a man gunned down at Mango Alley, Trou Macacque, Laventille, on Tuesday.

Homicide Bureau officers are continuing investigations.