By Ivan Pereira
Police were still searching for clues to the mystery surrounding a violent shooting Friday that left a hardworking couple dead and their younger son wounded in their Springfield Gardens home.
Officers responded to a 911 call at a single-family home at Grayson Street and 121st Avenue around 4 a.m. and found Rosie Jaggarnauth, 54, and her 64-year-old husband Sugrim dead from gunshot wounds to their heads, police said. Their 23-year-old son, Shane, was also in the home with a gunshot wound to his shoulder and was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, according to the NYPD.
Investigators did not disclose any motivation for the shootings, but they did say the family’s Toyota SUV was missing from the house. No suspects had been named and no arrests were made as of press time Tuesday.
Crime scene investigators taped off the entire block and combed the house for hours looking for clues. The couple’s elder son, Shawn, who lives in Brooklyn with his girlfriend and 2-year-old child, was being questioned at the 113th Precinct but was not declared a suspect as of Tuesday, according to police.
It was not known if he was in the house during the time of the shooting.
Harrison Williams, who has lived on the block for 55 years, said the Jaggarnauths, who were originally from Trinidad, were industrious people who were friendly with everyone. Williams said the father, who moved to the community more than 20 years ago, was close with his sons and grandchild.
“There’s no explanation for this,” he said of the shooting.
Williams said Sugrim Juggarnauth worked for a lithograph company and he believed Shane, who was not named a suspect, was also employed, but he did not know where.
Other neighbors said they did not hear any gunshots or commotion until the police arrived on the scene.
Rosie Jaggarnauth worked at The Home Depot on Merrick Boulevard in Laurelton and news of her death crushed one of her co-workers. Gemma Downey came by the house to check up on her colleague of five years when she did not report for work earlier in the morning and broke down in tears when she saw all the police.
“She didn’t even call. It was unusual,” she said.
Downey said the day before Rosie Jaggarnauth had given her and other co-workers souvenirs she had bought during a recent trip to Canada and was in good spirits.
“She gave us the souvenirs and said I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Downey recalled.
She added that her husband would always drop her off at work before he made his way to his Manhattan office.
The couple’s funeral was set to take place Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Praise Tabernacle Church at 108-11 Sutphin Blvd., according to officials at the church.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), text tips to 274637 (crimes), then enter TIP577 or log on to nypdcrimestoppers.com. All reports will be kept confidential.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
