Police are on high alert in the marginal Moruga/Tableland constituency following the fatal police-involved shooting of Shumba James, a well-known resident and key witness in a 2011 police killings case.

James, 42, was one of four people killed in separate police shootings across the country within 12 hours on April 25.

Recently released without charge after being detained under a ministerial order during the now-ended state of emergency (SoE), James was shot alongside his friend, Visham Ryan Hosein, 33, in their home community of St Mary's Village, Moruga, shortly after 10 am.

Earlier that morning, around 9.30 am, a suspect, Ronelle "Ratty" Marcelle, 35, was shot dead in Bethel in Tobago.

The first fatal shooting occurred just after midnight, around 12.05 am, in Longdenville, Chaguanas, where Devon Sotio, 45, was killed after a police chase.

In Moruga, the street was cordoned off for hours as residents and relatives gathered near the scene.

Tensions ran high, with several vowing to protest what they called the "assassination" of James and Hosein.

James' father, Frank Gill, alleged that police assassinated his son, the third of his sons to be killed by police over the years.

Gill said James was a special voter and had earlier cast his ballot in the Moruga/Tableland constituency.

"He was coming home. People like to talk, but Shumba was a loving man. They had him in jail and waited until he came out to kill him. I was in my garden when I got the news. They say he had a gun – (that's a) lie!"

"My child would never jump in a car with a gun. The police call my children pests and call me a pest too. Ask the villagers here – they love me."

Gill further claimed a police officer threatened him, saying, "You're next."

He also accused officers of previously trying to poison James during his SoE detention by "putting plastic in his food."

The SoE ran from December 30, 2024, to April 13, 2025.

[caption id="attachment_1151507" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Frank Gill, the father of Shumba James who was shot and killed by police along the Moruga Main road, St Mary's, talks to media on April 25. [/caption]

Relatives said both Hosein and James were UNC supporters "seeking betterment for the community."

The double shooting occurred on Moruga Main Road, near B's Sports Bar and Saunders Trace.

James, a father of two, lived at Simon Trace, while Hosein, a father of one, lived at Rochard Douglas Road.

Eyewitnesses claimed James was a passenger in a Nissan Tiida driven by Hosein when an unmarked police van blocked their path.

Realising it was the police, the two reportedly raised their hands in surrender – but were still fired upon.

Hosein allegedly got out and collapsed in a nearby drain.

Both men were taken to the Princes Town District Health Facility, where they were declared dead.

Relatives described Hosein as humble and hardworking and are demanding a full investigation into the shooting. However, police maintain the occupants of the car opened fire first, prompting officers to return f