For years, rampant gun violence has cast a dark shadow over St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and this public safety crisis spilled into the streets of the capital city Kingstown over a recent weekend, adding new urgency to the country’s struggle with violent crime. So far in 2024, gun-related killings account for the vast majority of the 29 total homicides recorded nationwide.
Over the course of Friday night to Sunday morning, the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) responded to three separate shooting incidents across Kingstown that left two women wounded and left local communities on edge. Two of the shootings unfolded within blocks of each other near the same Middle Street bar, within less than 12 hours of one another, though law enforcement has not yet confirmed any connection between the events.
The first incident unfolded at approximately 11 p.m. on Friday, when a 29-year-old man entered the popular local bar where multiple patrons had gathered, and allegedly opened fire with a weapon. A 25-year-old woman from Lowmans Leeward suffered a gunshot wound to her left arm in the crossfire. She was quickly rushed to Milton Cato Memorial Hospital for emergency care, and was released after treatment. Eyewitnesses and patrons at the bar intervened immediately, successfully disarming the shooter before turning him and the recovered .38 revolver over to responding police officers. The shooter sustained unspecified injuries during the confrontation with patrons, and remains hospitalized at Milton Cato under 24-hour police guard.
Roughly 11 and a half hours later, a second violent incident occurred just outside the same Middle Street bar. At around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, two men – aged 24 and 21 – were standing outside the establishment when a masked gunman approached them carrying a loaded firearm. According to preliminary investigator accounts, the attacker attempted to fire his weapon before the pair turned and fled. The gunman fired multiple shots after the fleeing men, but neither suffered injuries. None of the shots hit human targets, but one round struck the front windscreen of a nearby parked motor vehicle, leaving visible damage from the gunfire. Witnesses last observed the masked attacker fleeing the area toward the nearby gas station and Paul’s Avenue.
In an official press statement, the RSVGPF noted, “At this stage, the RSVGPF is not making any determination publicly regarding a possible connection between the two incidents. Investigators are examining the available evidence and circumstances surrounding each occurrence.”
Before the weekend ended, a third shooting erupted near Grenadines Wharf in the early hours of Sunday. At approximately 2:30 a.m., as crowds of people were leaving the wharf area, an unknown shooter opened fire on a moving motor vehicle. A 17-year-old female was hit by gunfire in the attack. She was transported immediately to Milton Cato Memorial Hospital for treatment, and police reported that as of their latest update, she remains in stable condition.
All three investigations remain active and ongoing, with law enforcement working to identify motives and any additional suspects involved in the attacks. The RSVGPF is calling on any member of the public with information related to any of the three weekend shootings to reach out directly to the Criminal Investigations Department, the Major Crime Unit, or the closest local police station. Police added that they will release additional public updates as more information becomes available throughout the course of the investigations.
The string of coordinated-seeming weekend attacks comes as St. Vincent and the Grenadines continues to grapple with a years-long surge in gun-related violent crime that has driven a sharp rise in annual homicide rates across the island nation.