BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Sunday July 13, 2014, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas Saturday said he was “appalled by this brazen act” after gunmen shot and killed three people and injured four others at the at the Frigate Bay Strip during the early hours.
In a statement, Dr. Douglas quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the “victims seems to have been targeted”
The police have not released the names or details of the shootings at the Frigate Bay Strip, but media reports said that two men, who had been sitting on the beach near a bar, had been shot and killed.
The media also reported that a third man died near the water’s edge as he attempted to flee the area.
Two female bystanders were struck in their legs during the early morning shooting that occurred around 3.00 am (local time).
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In his statement, Dr. Douglas said that the twin island Federation had been experiencing almost “ two years of peace and tranquility” and praised the police and the Defense Force for having “worked extraordinarily hard” in ensuring the peaceful environment.
“They have made excellent use of additional training and equipment, and they have benefited tremendously from our county’s strong relations with regional and international law enforcement agencies. This has had a very positive impact on the ground, and I wish to make it clear that my Government is determined to keep it this way.
“Like everyone in the Federation, I am appalled by this brazen act,” he said, extending his condolences to the family of those killed “sincere concerns to those who were injured”.
Dr. Douglas said he wanted to “remind each and every citizen and resident that indifference to criminality is not an option” and that “accommodating any form of criminality in your communities – and particularly in your homes – can come back and hit you hard.
“Because revenge and retaliation are often at the base of much crime, accommodating or excusing criminal behavior in your communities, your businesses, or your homes could result in you – or those you care about – falling victims in a cycle of action and reaction.”
He told citizens that the only way to protect yourself and those you love is to do what the people of the Federation have been doing for the past two years now, “strengthening their partnerships with law enforcement, ensuring that our children avail themselves of the youth-oriented programs organized by the police, doing their part to make our homes, our neighborhoods, and our country, crime free zones.
“Good, decent, and law-abiding citizens constitute the vast and overwhelming super-majority in this country. And it is we who must – and will – define the fabric and texture of life here. No-one else,” he added.
Dr. Douglas said that no one person, intent on violence, can be given greater weight than the rest of country.
“We, as a people, have already shown, and dramatically so, that when working in partnership with our police and defense forces, the law-abiding and decent citizens of our country most assuredly prevail. We have proven this over the past two years. And this is the trajectory on which we must – and shall – remain.
“The public has my assurance that our country’s law enforcement is treating the apprehension of the person responsible for this heinous act as a matter of utmost urgency,” Dr. Douglas added.
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St Kitts prime minister calls killing of three “a brazen act”
