A quiet Easter holiday in Barbados was shattered by two unconnected shooting incidents that left two men dead and multiple other people wounded, according to official police updates. Law enforcement first responded to the violence just before 7 p.m., when 911 callers reported gunfire breaking out along the popular Brownes Beach in the parish of St. Michael.
When officers from the Hastings/Worthing Police District arrived on scene, they found an adult man unresponsive outside a local business. A responding medical examiner officially pronounced the man dead at the location, and police have not yet released his public identity as of the latest update.
Roughly three hours later, a second violent outbreak unfolded in Oistins, Christ Church, just after 10 p.m. that same evening. Officers from the Oistins Police Station were dispatched to the scene after emergency calls about another shooting. Early investigative work has confirmed that the attack grew out of a public disturbance that erupted while a crowd of locals and visitors were gathered for a scheduled community event. When the altercation escalated, an unidentified shooter opened fire, striking three people: two men and one woman.
One of the wounded men, who had been rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the island nation’s leading public medical facility, by a private vehicle, died from his injuries while receiving care. He has since been formally identified by authorities as 22-year-old Raul Clarke, a resident of Gall Hill in Christ Church. The two remaining injured victims were transported to the same hospital via emergency ambulance, and they are currently receiving ongoing medical treatment for their wounds. As of the latest update, their conditions have not been publicly disclosed.
Barbados Police Service investigators have launched parallel probes into both shooting events, and the investigations remain active and ongoing as law enforcement works to identify suspects, piece together the motives for both attacks, and gather physical and witness evidence. To speed up progress on the cases, police are issuing a public appeal for any members of the public who may have information about either incident – whether they were witnesses, found themselves in the areas around the time of the shootings, or hold any details that could help investigators – to come forward with their tips.
Members of the public can submit information anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, reach the police emergency line at 211, contact the Hastings/Worthing Police Station directly at 430-7608 or 430-7609, or reach the Oistins Police Station at 418-2612 or 418-2608. All information provided to authorities will be treated as strictly confidential, police confirmed.