A Charlieville landlord fought back against burglars in a home invasion leaving one of the bandits dead and another injured on July 22.

The landlord lives on the first floor of the heavily burglar-proofed property at Caroni Savannah Road and rents the ground floor of his home to two businesses.

Around 3.10 am on July 22, four men climbed the wall of his backyard, before scaling another wall at the side of the property to gain access to a bedroom window.

They entered the house through the window and woke the landlord’s elderly mother.

Upon hearing the commotion in the house, the man took out his licensed gun and confronted the men, firing several shots at them.

One bandit was shot in the head and died at the scene while another was injured but managed to escape.

The bandits, scared by the landlord’s surprise attack, ran out of the house, jumped through a window onto a neighbour’s roof and then survived a ten-foot drop into the yard.

They then scrambled over an eight-foot-tall gate before escaping in a waiting car parked a street away near the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway.

Chaguanas Mayor Faaiq Mohammed was visiting the homeowner when Newsday arrived.

He said the authorities “can’t seem to get handle on things,” and added the landlord’s decision to fight back sent a serious message to criminals.

“(The landlord) protected his family. It’s seven of them in this house including a woman in her eighties. When the bandits came into the house, fortunately they didn’t attack her, but imagine if they did. It could have been a different interview we are having.

“(The bandits) knocked on the wrong door, or should I say the right door, this morning and a message was sent to them and the criminal elements within Chaguanas.”

The incident has fuelled an outcry by business owners in the community who say crime in the area is out of control.

Several of them spoke with Newsday, but did so on the condition of anonymity as they say they were fearful for their lives.

An employee with one of the businesses on the compound told Newsday, “The crime situation in this country is really out of hand.”

The employee said discussions would be held regarding additional security measures as the compound had seen its share of violent acts.

“We all are very concerned because this establishment in particular has had a history with bandits running in here and attacking workers and the owners. So it is a concern.”

Pointing to the outcome of the home invasion, the employee said law-abiding citizens should be allowed to defend themselves with a licensed firearm.

“The landlord, thankfully, he had a licensed firearm and he used it in the right context and right frame of mind. This is the type of news that's supposed to be going about, not bandits getting away freely.”

The employee said the in-your-face policing plan announced by Deputy Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin recently, while commendable, was not enough.

“You can step up police patrols and all that, but at the end of the day, police are not there when the ba