In a recent court appearance before the St. John’s Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, two Antiguan men have been ordered to remain in custody at His Majesty’s Prison in connection with a violent shooting and two armed robberies that rocked the community just days earlier.
Twenty-five-year-old Javia Peters, a resident of Pointe, and 22-year-old Saquami Christian, from Ottos, stood before Chief Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel to hear the remand order. The pair face a series of serious criminal charges stemming from two sets of separate criminal incidents that unfolded across the nation on September 27.
The first and most severe incident dates back to 3:40 a.m. that Sunday, when an altercation on Gordon Street in Villa left 47-year-old local resident Francis Dennis with multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency responders transported Dennis to the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre for urgent medical care following the attack. Peters and Christian have been jointly charged with two offences in relation to this shooting: shooting with intent to murder, and illegal use of a firearm to commit a criminal offence.
Beyond the Villa shooting, the two men also face charges connected to two separate armed robberies that took place the same day on Baxter Street in Ottos. In the first robbery, the accused are alleged to have targeted a female victim, stealing a range of personal property including a mobile phone, SIM cards, a handbag, assorted jewellery and cash. The combined estimated value of the stolen items amounts to approximately 1,285 Eastern Caribbean dollars. For this incident, they face joint charges of armed robbery and firearm possession during the commission of a crime.
In the second Ottos robbery, the pair allegedly robbed a second woman of her mobile phone, a SIM card and cash, with the stolen property valued at roughly 880 Eastern Caribbean dollars. They have been charged jointly for this offence as well.
Following the court appearance, Chief Magistrate Emanuel ordered that both Peters and Christian be remanded to His Majesty’s Prison, where they will remain in custody until their next scheduled court date on December 2, 2026. The Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda confirmed the details of the remand in an official media release issued via its Office of Strategic Communications.