AS IF haunted by violence, the Joseph family was dealt yet another devastating blow on the morning of April 22.
Coconut vendors Vikey "Thumb Thumb" Joseph, who survived a recent shooting, and his father Anthony John, 43, were gunned down at the corner of Mon Plaisir Road and River Road.
Another of John's sons, Ricardo Joseph, 17, survived the deadly attack and up to press time, was fighting for his life at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope.
John, the father of seven, was also known as Eddie and coconut man.
The man and his two sons had just left the family's home at River Road in a Kia K2700 van heading to buy and sell coconut when at around 6 am, a car blocked the van's pathway while another car also drove and parked nearby.
Two gunmen got out and opened fire at the van, hitting John and his sons.
The gunmen got back into the car and together with the other car, sped off along Mon Plaisir Road towards the Southern Main Road. John's body was found in the driver's seat.
Relatives and passers-by managed to pull the sons out of the van. However, Vikey died on the ground next to the van while Ricardo was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility and was later transferred to the hospital in Mt Hope.
One of the getaway cars was later found abandoned in Monte Grande, Tunapuna.
Grieving relatives recalled that only in December, Joseph was shot and wounded while liming near a bar in the area.
On April 4, gunmen shot at the family's home. No one was injured.
The family is originally from St Augustine and last year moved into the Cunupia area, fleeing gang violence.
A close relative who asked not to be named said relatives, as well as Joseph's pet dog, Novie, rushed to the scene after the gunshots ended.
"They were going to pick coconuts. They normally go around driving all over the country. They would go Diego Martin, Toco, anywhere," the relative said. "We ran from problems with gang wars (in St Augustine) and ended up in more problems."
The family believe the killers were monitoring the father and sons before ambushing them.
The family does not believe police will arrest anyone, considering past shootings which to this day, remain unsolved.
Joseph's uncle, watermelon vendor Dillon Joseph, 30, was shot dead at the Caroni roundabout in April 2023.
Dillon was at his stall when a black Nissan Tiida drove up, two men got out and shot and killed him. Five years earlier, in January 2018, Dillon's sister Sarah Joseph was gunned down in Mon Plaisir Road.
"Saturday would mark two years since Dillon was murdered. We are not sure if that is connected to this. No one was ever held for his murder. No one was held for Sarah's murder either. No one was held when Thumb Thumb was shot, no one was held when they shot up the house. The system has failed our family," the relative said.
Residents told Newsday they did not really know the family as they had only moved into the area last year.
Autopsies are expected to be done later in the week at the Forensic Sciences Centre in S
