Soldier held in Arima for killing a woman and her daughter

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: A soldier was arrested in connection with the murders of Calida Schamber, age 43- years and her 66-year-old mother, Carmelita DeLeon, in Arima.

After their relatives arrived at the scene, the sound of cries and screams filled the air in the Shorelands residential community in Glencoe on January 2, 2024.

In due course of time, officers from multiple operational units searched several forested areas across Arima for the man who is believed to be the culprit in this heinous act. It is also said that the person is a soldier.

Further, after a nationwide manhunt, police finally took the suspect into custody along the Blanchisseuse Road in Arima at around 8:35 pm.

It is to be added in the remarks of the police that the attack occurred after 11 am when the man, also known as Schamber, jumped the wall of the premises, shot both the women and escaped the scene.

As soon as the relatives heard the sound of gunshots, they immediately came out of the house, and on checking, they found the bodies of the mother and daughter lying in a pool of blood.

It is to be noted that Schamber’s toddler son was reportedly being fed by his grandmother in the house before the attack, and he was notably unharmed.

According to the investigators, the suspect is a warrant officer II assigned to Camp Cumuto. He was going to his workplace, where he got a Ford Ranger and sped out of the compound. Also, the vehicle was later left abandoned at the Quarry in Blanchisseuse.

Further to this, at the scene of the murder, ranks from the Four Roads Police Station were called in together with the district medical officer, and he declared Schamber and DeLeon dead.

Notably, the former Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Anil Roberts, also visited the scene as he is a close friend of Schamber and her mother.

Roberts stated that his daughter was in the house at the time of the shooting, noting that he learned of the incident as it unfolded in the background to a phone call with his daughter.

“I heard screaming, shouting, panicking, and I could not get an idea of what was taking place. I live nearby, about 11 minutes away. I jumped in my car, called the police while coming here”, Roberts explained.