YEARS of violent, domestic squabbles ended in tragedy yesterday after a security guard shot and killed his common-law wife before taking his own life at the tax office in downtown Kingston, where the woman worked also as a guard.
The Doncaster, Kingston, couple — who had been together for almost two decades — was identified as Colette Hibbert, 44, who was employed to Guardsman Group, and Paul Martin, 50, who was employed to KingAlarm. The shooting forced the early closure of the tax office.
Detective Inspector Sandra Morris-Taylor, who was among a police team from the Kingston Central Police Station at the crime scene yesterday, told reporters that Martin visited the office shortly after 9:00 am and after a brief conversation with Hibbert, shot and killed her before killing himself.
The officer said Hibbert was overheard asking, “A yah suh you a go do it,” before the shots were fired.
Tax office worker Lavern Hamilton, who said he witnessed the horrific incident, said that Martin had visited the office last week Tuesday and engaged Hibbert in an argument.
“Him come and ah mek up bare noise on the woman and she seh ‘Why yuh come at my workplace creating excitement on me?’ And him turn to her and seh before him leave that, ‘It nuh done yet’’. And she seh ‘anything yuh waan do yuh do ‘cause a you a mek mi a do wa mi a do’,” Hamilton recalled.
He said when Martin visited the office yesterday, the argument was more intense.
“This morning (yesterday) him come and like him inna a bag a argument wid her, and she seh to him, ‘why you come at my workplace, stop come at my workplace, I tell you I don’t want you.’ And the man just tek out him gun and lick out har head back,” he said.
“When mi hear the shot, mi drop a grung and by the time mi lift up mi head mi nuh see the security woman; she fold up and drop a grung. And by di time mi fi look up again mi hear blow! blow! Him put the gun a him forehead and lick out fi him head,” Hamilton added.
According to Hamilton, when Martin entering the office, a justice of the peace had asked him for his gun and he told the man that he was going to use it.
Yesterday, onlookers who had gathered at the scene chastised Martin.
“What a wicked thing man! Mi ‘fraid that’s why me cyaan bother with nuh heap a man ting,” one woman was overheard saying.
However, family members who had gathered at the workplace of Hibbert’s brother in Kingston, said that the couple had been having problems for years and that one of the main issues was the house that they had bought together some six to eight years ago.
“They have been having problems for years. I tired to talk to them, police talk to them, neighbours talk to them. Families on both sides are aware of the problem, but nuh care how much wi talk to dem, dem seh dem not separating,” Hibbert’s brother told the Observer.
“Is last year December I tell Martin nuh mek 2016 catch you in there (the house), mek Colette pay you for his share of the house, and him seh him not leaving, him rather kill her first and kill himself, and see it there him do it,” said the brother, who was visibly distraught when the Observer arrived at his workplace.
According to the brother, the relationship between the couple broke down years ago, but Martin stayed in the relationship because of the house and their 17-year-old daughter.
But, despite their problems, the brother said: “They were a hard-working couple; both of them are always working, and both of them loved their children.”
Yesterday, Meris Haughton, director of communication at the Tax Administration Services Department, said that the office was closed early to facilitate police investigation and grief counselling for traumatised staff.
