Relatives of slain Debe gardener want closure

Devanand Soogrim lived and worked at his Debe home quietly, which makes his violent death all the more puzzling, according to relatives when asked about his lifestyle at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Wednesday.

Soogrim was shot dead at the produce stall outside his Suchit Trace, Debe, home on Tuesday evening.

Speaking with Newsday, relatives said they never expected Soogrim, 53, to be killed given his quiet lifestyle and called for swift action from the police in finding his killer.

One relative who asked not to be named said she wanted to know who killed him as she felt it would bring closure to their grief.

“We were in San Fernando at the time when he heard that he was shot. By the time we got to the scene he was already dead. We still aren’t clear on a lot of the facts but we were told that a man came out of a car and shot him.

“We don’t think it was a robbery because nothing was missing. We don’t know why anyone would want to do this to him but I would like to know who killed him just to find out why. I feel it would give us some closure.”

Another relative said she saw Soogrim a week before his death as she worked with him in his garden and did not feel safe after his murder.

Activist Wayne Kublalsingh on his Facebook page offered condolences to Soogrim’s family and honoured him as a member of the highway reroute movement.