Police are on high alert following a shooting incident that claimed the lives of five people, including a 13-year-old boy.
On the evening of Wednesday, July 19, the local law enforcement agency in Kingstown, the capital city of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, received reports of a public shooting in the Harbor Club vicinity.
The gathered crowd came under attack when the perpetrators, arriving in a vehicle, started shooting indiscriminately. The gunfire claimed five lives. Investigators believe that the murderers used an assault-type firearm.
Police Commissioner Colin John underscored the severity of the incident during a media briefing on Thursday, July 20, alerting about possible retaliation.
Expressing his sympathy for the grieving families, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who was on a state visit to Morocco, issued a video message. He committed to ensuring justice for the victims and holding the instigators accountable.
Addressing the nation, the Acting Prime Minister, Montgomery Daniel, stated that the government is treating these crimes with utmost seriousness. He assured that the administration is committed to unmasking those behind this abominable act. Furthermore, Daniel revealed that some of the victims had previously survived assassination attempts.
In the broader context, the US is actively partnering with Caribbean nations to suppress crime and violence. A key topic of discussion in the recent meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Caribbean leaders in Trinidad was the illicit arms trade from the U.S. to the Caribbean.
