March 10th, 2010.

A Police constable and his best friend were ambushed and killed on Monday night when they went to retrieve a rented car from a man at Mango Alley, Trou Macaque, Laventille.

PC Lennon Augustine, who had six years service, was part of the Project 250 Unit based at Chaguanas.

The unit was commended after members rescued a two-year-old Maraval girl last December.

PC Augustine and his fellow officers were hailed as heroes.

Back then, they rushed to assist Maraval police in their search for the child after hearing a report on their wireless set.

They were supposed to return to Chaguanas after filling their police vehicle with gasoline at police barracks, St James.

His photo appeared in a newspaper in connection with the story and at the Forensic Science Centre yesterday, Augustine’s mother, Glendalyn Augustine, said putting police officers’ photos in the newspaper put them at risk.

Augustine said she believed because the ’bad boys’ knew what her son looked like they ambushed him because of his job.

Augustine, 26, and his friend Jason Kyle Bravo, 33, went to Mango Alley to collect a rented car.

Bravo owned a car-rental firm called ’Big J Auto Rentals’ at Picton Street, Newtown, Port of Spain.

Both men lived at Second Caledonia, Morvant.

Around 8.30 p.m. on Monday, Augustine and Bravo were in a white Hyundai panel van parked near a garage in the area.

Neighbours said they heard several gunshots.

When they came out they found Augustine slumped behind the steering wheel of the van.

Bravo ran about 50 feet after being shot and was found dead on the road.

Police said that it was easy for the killers to escape as there are four roads leading to the area.

No one had been arrested up to last night.

Acting DCP Gilbert Reyes said yesterday: ’We are doing an investigation into circumstances surrounding the death of the officer and we are deeply saddened.’

He said: ’We advise our officers going about their private business to be very careful based on the crime situation going in the country.’

Reyes added: ’We have detailed a senior officer to investigate the report and this will be submitted to the acting Commissioner of Police.’

Augustine’s brother, a prisons officer who did not want to be identified, hoped someone would be arrested for his brother’s killing.

Glendalyn Augustine said her son and Bravo were like brothers.

She said Government should provide ’safe housing’ for members of the protective services.

This meant any HDC apartment or house outside Trinidad’s crime hotspots.

She described her son as a ’police officer that don’t trouble nobody.

He’s a lover in the area. My son is a lover’.

She said Augustine had been on leave after being stabbed by a bandit at the annual Licensing fete.