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Arima North Secondary student and footballer Zwade Alleyne is in critical condition after being shot in the head outside of his home in Maloney last night.
Alleyne, who helped Maloney Real Footballers Academy into the Trinidad quarterfinal round of the 2025 Republic Bank National Youth Football League (RBNYFL) East Under-17 Division, was shot above his ear at around 11pm—after a gunman was said to fire indiscriminately at a group of young men liming at Building 12 in Maloney.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Arima Araucans.
Alleyne, who turned 17 on 8 March, was just a few steps away from his home when he was shot. According to eyewitnesses, one other boy was hit—but that person was only grazed.
The gunman, according to a source, was looking for a group of young men who were gambling and is believed to have targeted the wrong crowd. Alleyne was said to be hit by a stray bullet. Police recovered 15 spent 9mm shell casings at the scene.
Contrary to some social media posts, Alleyne is not dead.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Wired868.
At present, the form five student is in ICU at the Mount Hope Hospital and under heavy medication as doctors try to relieve swelling to his brain so they can operate. There is internal bleeding.
A talented box-to-box midfielder, Alleyne represented the Dial Dynamos in every season since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.
He was just 15 years old when he started in the East Zone Intercol semifinal against Trinity College East in the 2023 season. Arima North went on to lift the East Intercol title that season.
Alleyne was also an East Zone Under-16 League and Knock Out champion in 2023. He played alongside defender Ezekiel Ramdialsingh, who was murdered in La Horquetta on 15 April 2025.
Photo: Nicholas Bhajan/ Arima Araucans Academy.
Alleyne played more sparingly in the 2024 Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) competition and did not complete the season for Arima North.
He was in the initial training pool for the Trinidad and Tobago National Under-17 Team in 2024, although he did not make the final squad.
In club competition, Alleyne was a regular for FC Ginga from under-14 level, although he represented his community team, Maloney Real Footballers Academy, in 2025.
Photo: Daniel Prentice/ Arima Araucans Academy.
At present, he is in the middle of his CSEC examinations.
His mother, Keisha Bethelmy, asked well-wishers to keep Alleyne—who is conscious and responsive but unable to communicate—in their prayers, as they hope for a positive outcome.
Zwade Alleyne’s uncle, Keron Bethelmy, is the manager and assistant coach of the Maloney Real Footballers Academy as well as a former Caledonia AIA midfielder and national youth team player.
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Lasana Liburd is the managing director and chief editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.
