Brazen Maloney Shooting was the Last Straw

By PETER GREEN

A brazen shooting in one of the car parks at Maloney was the last straw.

In broad daylight, a gunman was seen chasing another and shooting indiscriminately. Luckily for the intended target, he was not shot.

But the scene, as seen in a social media video, showed people, including small children scampering for safety on the public holiday. Again, no one was injured in that incident.

But hear what!

That was the latest in a series of shootings in the Maloney area, where according to some residents, a certain number of gang members “feel they own the community.”

As one resident told Sunshine Today, “we are afraid to come out at night for fear of being killed. So this curfew they enforced is legal….not like the one we are accustomed to.”

Another resident said, “these shootings are daily. I have to keep my children indoors. They cannot even venture outside these buildings to play. What kind of life is this? And people here in Maloney are against the police and army coming here. Nonsense.”

Recent incidents in Maloney:

• November 7, 2026 (Apartment Shooting): A 51-year-old Maloney man was shot and killed while standing in the corridor of an apartment building. In the same attack, three women were shot and wounded by a hail of bullets. 
• September 10, 2026 (Police Shootout): Two young men, Triston Martin, 19, and Tyrique De Coteau. 23, were killed during a shootout with the police on Sandeling Boulevard. Officers were attempting to execute a Preventive Detention Order against Martin when they were met with gunfire and returned fire.
• June 19, 2026 (Gull Terrace Murder): A man identified as “Jamal” was shot to death at Gull Terrace, Maloney, prompting a heavy response from homicide and forensic investigators.
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The Maloney Buildings Housing Development became the first community to be declared a closed area under the Special Operations Act, 2026.

The declaration was made by President Christine Carla Kangaloo through Legal Notice No. 847, dated November 10, while a separate order, Legal Notice No. 848, imposed the curfew on the community.

There was a heavy police presence in the community on Tuesday night, with police and soldiers blocking all roads leading into and out of Maloney.

There was also a police officer on a loud speaker with a recording informing residents why they were there.

The recording stated, “During these hours, all persons within the designated area must remain inside your premises unless otherwise legally authorized, or with a valid curfew permit.”

The orders represent the first use of the closed-area provisions under the Special Operations Act, which was passed in Parliament in September and proclaimed in October.

Under Section 11 of the legislation, the President may declare an area within a policing district a closed area where there are reasonable grounds to believe that public safety and peace are threatened by escalating violent crime, including murders, shootings, kidnappings or gang-related activity.

The law also identifies the prevalence of illegal firearms, ammunition, weapons or explosives, as well as gang control or intimidation of communities, as grounds for such a declaration.

The order stated that the President was satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that public safety and peace within the area, which falls under Policing District Two, were threatened.

The gazetted order does not identify specific criminal incidents or provide detailed evidence supporting the declaration.

Under Section 14, people within a designated closed area can be required to remain inside their premises during specified hours unless otherwise authorized by the order or granted a permit.

For Maloney residents, this means remaining indoors between 9 pm and 5 am unless an exemption or permit applies.

It did not take long for Member of Parliament, Camille Robinson-Regis, to get into the action.

In a Facebook post, she wrote, “Without a clear communication to residents, Maloney is now under lock down, leaving law-abiding citizens frightened, confused and unsure whether they need permits simply to get home.

I have received calls from residents in a state of panic. Even the police reportedly do not have clear information on the process, yet residents are being told the community is locked down from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

A murder occurred in Couva yesterday, yet no comparable lockdown. A shooting in Maloney, with no fatalities, and an entire community is placed under restrictions.

Government cannot use national security as an excuse to disregard people’s rights, dignity and freedom of movement. Residents deserve answers, clear communication and an explanation. You cannot keep people in the dark and expect them to simply accept it.

Public safety matters, but so do the rights of the people we are elected to serve.”