A fatal shooting has rocked the quiet community of Pinelands, St Michael, after a man was gunned down on Martins Road early Friday, launching a intensive criminal investigation by local law enforcement.
According to official statements from Inspector Ryan Brathwaite, the Police Public Affairs and Communications Officer, the incident came to light just before 10 a.m. when a female caller contacted the national police Operations Control Room to report that a man had been shot at the Martins Road location.
Within minutes of receiving the alert, uniformed police officers and emergency medical response teams were mobilized and rushed to the scene to provide assistance and secure the area.
“Teams from the Barbados Ambulance Service, made up of one attending physician and two emergency medical technicians, arrived promptly to assess the victim, but they were unable to detect any vital signs,” Brathwaite confirmed in a press briefing Friday.
Following the initial emergency assessment, a police medical examiner traveled to the shooting site and formally declared the man deceased, Brathwaite added.
As of Friday afternoon, the investigation remains in a critical early phase that law enforcement officials describe as “delicate”. Forensic specialists have been deployed to process the crime scene, which has been cordoned off to preserve evidence and prevent unauthorized access to the area.
In an appeal to the public for assistance, police are urging anyone who was present in the Martins Road area around the time of the shooting, or anyone who holds any information that could help advance the investigation, to come forward with their details. Tipsters can share information anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, contact the 24-hour Police Emergency line at 211, or reach out directly to investigators at District ‘A’ Police Station via 430-7242.
At this stage of the investigation, authorities have not yet released the name of the deceased, pending notification of next of kin. Police say additional details about the shooting and investigation progress will be released to the public as they become available.