Rose was gunman’s target—investigator

Jan 28, 2014 News

Police confirmed that a .45 caliber weapon was used in the execution of Popular Mashramani Costume Designer

Dead: Trevor Rose

and Events Coordinator Trevor Rose early Sunday at the traffic lights on the Eccles Public Road, East Bank Demerara.
Rose, a 33-year-old father of eight, was shot about six times while travelling in the back seat of a car with the mother of one of his children, Latoya Towler, who was also struck once in the buttock.
The driver of the car, Troy Nieunkerk, who is an accountant at the Ministry of Home Affairs and a part time taxi driver, was also shot in the left shoulder.
Both Nieunkerk and Towler are hospitalized at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in a stable condition.
Kaieteur News was told that Rose and his ex-fiancee had just left a Waterloo Street restaurant, after spending a few hours at another popular night spot on Main Street when the shooting occurred.
Investigators believed that the 9mm. pistol along with the 19 matching rounds which was recovered at the scene of the shooting on Sunday belongs to one of the occupants in the car in which Rose was gunned down in. However, the person never got the chance to use it.
According to sources, Nieunkerk, who lives in Diamond, EBD told investigators that he was heading home and offered Rose and Towler a lift to Eccles.
“He knows the two of them so he picked them up and while at Eccles, this car pulled up alongside him and asked

The injured Towler

why he was driving so reckless. He thought it was the police so he said ‘Na man I’m not driving reckless,” the source said.
Kaieteur News was further told that the driver of the heavily tinted vehicle exited his car and approached Nieunkerk’s car. Rose, who probably recognized who it was, urged the accountant to reverse, since the suspect stopped in front of their car.
“When Nieunkerk tried to reverse, the man shot him first and he ran out of the car and threw himself on the road.
The suspect, walked to the back of the car where Rose was, and opened fire,” a source said.
Nieunkerk reportedly told investigators that while lying on the road, he heard the designer screaming and the shooter, who was walking away, turned back and fired a shot, which struck Rose to the neck.
The shooter jammed Nieunkerk’s car to make it look like an accident.
Despite his injury, Nieunkerk managed to drive to the GPHC with the now dead Rose and the injured Towler.
It is clear that Rose was the target since Towler who was sitting in the back seat of the car with him, was struck only once. The bullet which struck Towler is believed to be one intended for Rose.
Investigations are ongoing.