Story and photos by Leroy Smith

TWO bandits were on Friday shot dead and a third suspect was arrested after they had attempted to rob a store on D’Urban and Hardina Streets.

Dead are Calvin Dover, 27, a plumber and Trevor Barrow, 26, also known as “Skull Boss”. The two men had on Friday morning, reportedly invaded the grocery store where they attempted to rob the establishment.

According to reports, a businessman was preparing items to send to an interior location where he has another business when he felt a cold metal to the right side of his head. A male then ordered him to hand over his belongings and while attempts were being made to relieve him of same, a loud explosion was heard. That caused Dover to exit the premises and Barrow continued to attempt to rob the man. A fight ensued and Barrow reached for a firearm which he had in his waist and pointed it at the businessman and pulled the trigger but the gun snapped. The businessman then reached for his firearm which he had on his person and discharged several rounds at Barrow fatally wounding him. However, due to the police intelligence, police ranks quickly cordoned off an area several metres from the crime scene in pursuit of Dover who reportedly opened fire at them. The police returned fire and Dover who was wounded in the foot, sought refuge in the home of a family along Bent Street where he was cornered and killed.

Prior to that, as he was running away from the cops, he attempted to make his exit from the community by using a yard, which according to residents,is used as a thoroughfare by many strangers to the community. However recently, the owners of the property erected a huge fence and it was that fence that prevented the young man from using that escape route.

At the crime scene on D’Urban Street, Barrow who was dressed in a white jersey and cap appeared to have been shot to his head. His relatives showed up at the scene and began crying as his body lay in the grocery store, even as the police conducted their investigations and hundreds of onlookers gathered with their phones snapping photographs and uploading shotsto social media.

Relatives blamed the “bad company” of the youth for his demise and even indicated that he was someone who never listened to them when they cautioned him against the company he was keeping. Over at Bent Street, the scene was no different from that at D’Urban Street. Relatives, police and curious onlookers were all out even as the police used their vehicles to cordon off the area, while relatives of Dover spoke with the police and the occupants of the house provided the police with statements. The police also invited two females down to the station to assist them with their investigation as well a male who was handcuffed.

As the male was escorted out of the yard and into the vehicle his mother begged to see him and the detectives allowed her. The woman broke down in tears as she saw her son in handcuffs. He was then placed in the back of the police vehicle where he remained under guard as the police conducted their investigations. After a while the hearse arrived to remove the body but that took a while as only one undertaker arrived. The police had to seek the assistance of a resident to assist the undertaker to carry the body of Dover from the upper flat of the house in which he was killed, to the hearse.