Police have charged 26 year old Nigel Sookram, a painter of Conference in St Andrew’s for the shooting to death of a Gas Station attendant in Tivoli, St. Andrew’s just before Christmas.

Officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), under pressure from the public for the long delay in finding the alleged killer, charged Sookram with the murder of 36 year old John Joseph. The suspect was detained last week Saturday and formally charged on Monday in connection with the murder.

Investigations are continuing and police might charge a second person for the crime. Sookram made his first court appearance on Tuesday at the Grenville Magistrate Court before Magistrate of the Eastern District, Oforiwa Augustine. He was remanded to the Richmond Hill Prison until March 20 when he is due to make his next court appearance.

A number of curious persons flocked the court yard to get a glimpse of the accused including family and friends of both the deceased and accused. Lennox Joseph, a brother of the victim, told GRENADA TODAY newspaper that he feels more relaxed now that his brother’s alleged killer has been found.

He said he hopes that the law will take its due course and appealed to young people to engage themselves in positive activities in an effort cut down on the crimes in the country. A sister of the deceased, Sheila Samuel also expressed happiness that a suspect is now in custody for the killing but was rather sorry for the family of Sookram.

She spoke of feeling very nervous seeing the suspect face to face in connection with the murder of her brother. Joseph, an attendant at the Tivoli gas station and resident of the area was shot during a robbery attempt at approximately 8:45 p.m. on December 20, 2005.

He received a shot to the chest as robbers attempted to lay their hands on the cash collected by the gas station. Manager of the gas station, Lerry Thomas told this newspaper that at the time of the incident both he and two other employees were inside the office preparing to close for the day while Joseph who was employed as an attendant was on the outside.

Thomas said that while inside he noticed his colleague struggling with a masked man who was trying to enter the building. He said that he saw a gun in the assailant’s hand, and after realising what was going on, decided to take cover. “I then heard a gun shot and by the time I rushed out he (Joseph) was already on the ground”, he said.

Joseph was employed at the station for more than seven years. He was described by his former colleagues as a very jovial person whom everybody liked. Thomas said that the deceased was someone“you can call on at any time to come to work and he will do it”.