PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Sept 21, CMC – Less than a week after he was among hundreds of people released following the end of the state of emergency (SoE), Deshawn Manson, 27, was shot and killed near his home in Port of Spain on Sunday.
Police said that Manson, also known as “Deedee”, was found dead near the Health Centre around 10.20 pm and had been identified by a relative, who declined to answer questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
Police said they found several spent 9mm shells at the scene.
Manson had been detained under a Preventive Detention Order (PDO) during the SoE and that he had been identified as a member of the 9 Gang, which police said is an organised criminal group operating in Laventille along the east-west corridor and Port of Spain.
The PDO had alleged that the group was involved in murders, armed robberies, narcotics trafficking and firearm distribution. It said also that the group had access to high-powered weapons and was involved in an ongoing violent conflict with rival groups, including plans for retaliatory shootings in public spaces.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she will not hesitate to declare another SoE if serious threats to the safety and security of citizens re-emerge.
Her statement follows the passage of the Special Operations (SO) Bill, 2026, in the House of Representatives shortly after midnight last Saturday and gones to the Senate this week.
Persad-Bissessar is hoping tha the Senate would approve the legislation “without amendments”.
“However, if serious threats to the safety and security of citizens re-emerge, I will not hesitate to put the country under another SoE,” she said.
The Special Operations Bill, which replaces the previous Zones of Special Operations legislation, establishes seven policing districts and allows specific locations within those districts to be declared “closed areas” for limited periods.
Once declared, authorities may impose measures including curfews, cordons, checkpoints, road closures and restrictions on entry and exit. The legislation also provides for searches without a warrant in specified circumstances.
CMC/gh/ir/2026