A 24-year-old suspect linked to severe criminal activity has lost his life following an officer-involved shooting in the Morris Gap area of Westbury Road, St Michael, Barbados. Law enforcement authorities have formally identified the deceased as Absalom Abejah Francis-Hunte, a resident of Upper Collymore Rock in the same parish.
According to official statements from the Barbados Police Service, the incident unfolded just before 11 a.m. on Friday, when plainclothes and uniformed officers were executing a targeted operation at a private residence connected to Francis-Hunte. During the course of the operation, the suspect was located by the responding team, and an altercation ensued that ended with officers opening fire on the 24-year-old.
Immediately after the shooting, first responders activated emergency medical protocols. Paramedics from the Barbados Ambulance Service and a local medical doctor arrived rapidly at the scene to administer urgent on-site care. Francis-Hunte was then rushed by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the island nation’s primary public acute care facility, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
In line with standard protocol for police-involved fatal shootings, the Barbados Police Service has announced that a senior ranking officer from an outside district will lead an independent probe into all circumstances surrounding the incident. The investigation will review the actions of all responding officers, the sequence of events that led to the use of lethal force, and any relevant evidence gathered from the scene.
Law enforcement is now actively asking for public assistance to build a full, accurate record of what occurred. Any individual who witnessed the shooting directly, or who holds information that could advance the investigation, is urged to contact one of several dedicated hotlines: the anonymous Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-8477, the national police emergency line at 211, or the main desk of the Barbados Criminal Investigations Department at 430-7189 or 430-7190.