LAVENTILLE recorded its first murder in exactly one month yesterday since the last spate of killings in the Beverly Hills community.

The killings had resulted in the armed forces having to be deployed to the area to keep the peace.

The last murder prior to yesterday's killing occurred around 8.45 p.m. on September 9, at Clifton Hill, with the shooting death of 46-year-old welder Robert Farrell.

Since then there had been no serious reports of crime in the area, but around 3.45 a.m. yesterday that record was broken.

Police reported that St Ann's resident Stephon Morris, who was shot a total of 28 times about the body, died instantly, shortly after leaving his girlfriend's home at Kerr Road, Eastern Quarry.

Morris, 28, of Simeon Road, St Ann's, was said to have been approached by two men armed with guns. Upon spotting the men, police said Morris started to run but the gunmen opened fire.

Police said they believed the men knew Morris was in the house and hid in the area waiting for him to exit the building.

His killing has taken the country's murder toll for the year to 315 according to an Express tally.

A team of officers from the Besson Street Police Station along with Homicide detectives visited the scene and conducted enquiries.

Over the weekend of September 8 and 9, there were four murders in Laventille resulting in police and regiment officers setting up camp in the Beverly Hills area.

Killed over that weekend were Alma Noray, 51; Joel "Garlic Sauce" Bodkin, 29; Errol "Shine" John, 55 and Robert Farrell.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old Brent Massy, who was shot while liming in Curepe last Friday around 3 a.m., died hours later while being treated at hospital.

Residents reported hearing several loud explosions before they found Massy, of Thomas Street, Tunapuna, lying along the roadway, police said.

He was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope but was pronounced dead around 1 p.m.