标签： Saint Lucia

A deadly shooting incident in the quiet community of La Pointe, located in Dennery, has claimed the life of a local man and left three other people fighting for recovery, according to updates from law enforcement in Saint Lucia.

Fifty-seven-year-old Francis Ford, a resident of La Pointe, passed away on Monday from the gunshot wounds he sustained during the attack, which unfolded just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. His death came two days after the violent incident shook the small coastal neighborhood.

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) confirmed that the first alert about the shooting reached officers at the Dennery Police Station shortly after the gunfire erupted. Initial reports indicated that three men had been hit by gunshots in the attack. Emergency responders immediately rushed the injured men to local medical centers via ambulance for urgent care, though no further updates on their current conditions have been released as of yet.

To advance the investigation, authorities have scheduled a post-mortem examination to confirm the exact cause and manner of Ford’s death, which is set to take place at a future date. Law enforcement teams have not yet released details about potential motives for the shooting, identified any persons of interest, or made any arrests in connection with the case.

The RSLP is now actively calling on members of the public who may have witnessed the incident, or hold any information that could help advance the investigation, to come forward. Anyone with relevant details can reach the Dennery Police Station directly at 456-4090. For community members who prefer to share information without revealing their identity, anonymous tips can be submitted through two additional channels: calling the national Crime Hotline at 555, or submitting information through the official RSLPF Crime Hotline mobile application, which is free to download on the Google Play Store for Android devices.

The opening day of a public inquiry into a deadly boat collision that left four people dead and multiple others injured in Anse Cochon has seen the captain of the vessel Cazorla Jr admit he operated the boat while knowing his official boatmaster’s license had expired years prior.

Tuesday marked the first session of public hearings for the incident that occurred on July 18, with captain Tyson Hippolyte taking the stand to deliver testimony under questioning from the inquiry commission. Hippolyte walked the commission through his timeline that day, explaining he had departed from Soufrière for Gros Islet at roughly 3 p.m., before beginning the return trip to Soufrière just after 10 p.m.

When Hippolyte confirmed he held a boatmaster license, Commission Chairman — retired Justice Mario Michel — began asking about the document’s validity. Before Michel could finish his question, Hippolyte interjected, conceding he had not checked the expiration date of his license in a very long time. When Michel directly asked if the license had expired on July 18, 2015 — years before the fatal collision — Hippolyte claimed he did not know. Commission members then presented Hippolyte with an official copy of the license, proving it had indeed expired long before he took the helm of Cazorla Jr.

Hippolyte told the commission he had not paid attention to the expiration date because he did not operate vessels regularly. He added that he had only captained Cazorla Jr three or four times before the deadly collision.

In further damaging testimony, Hippolyte also openly admitted that he had consumed three to four beers before he left Gros Islet to begin the return voyage. When asked why he felt confident operating the boat that night despite the unfavorable sea conditions and his unlicensed status, Hippolyte responded in Kwéyòl that his years of experience made him comfortable to sail.

Public inquiry hearings into the deadly July 18 boat collision off Anse Cochon that left four people dead entered their second day Wednesday, as a new round of witnesses took the stand to share their firsthand accounts of the tragic night of the incident.

Among those testifying was Romean Williams, one of the lucky survivors of the crash, who told investigators he had only strapped on a life jacket mere minutes before the two vessels collided. He credited a spiritual prompting for what turned out to be a life-saving choice to ask for the safety equipment.

Williams’ testimony came on the heels of a contentious first day of hearings, which already saw damning admissions of overlooked safety protocols, raised serious questions about the operational compliance of both vessels involved, and exposed conflicting narratives about the chaotic moments leading up to the impact.

As a passenger on board the vessel Cazorla Jr, Williams faced questions from inquiry commissioners about why he chose to request a life jacket for the return leg of the trip, after opting to go without one for the earlier outbound journey.

The survivor explained that he cannot swim, has a long-standing fear of the open ocean, and that the trip to Pigeon Island marked his first time ever traveling by boat. He boarded the vessel at the Soufrière waterfront at approximately 4:30 p.m., choosing the boat outing to enjoy an evening out without having to drive himself.

Per Williams’ account, crew members never offered him a life jacket, nor did they provide any mandatory pre-departure safety briefing to passengers. When commissioners asked why he did not request a safety vest before the trip began, he said he placed his trust in the experience of the boat’s operators.

“The guys are not new to this, so I trusted them,” he told the panel.

The return trip to Soufrière got underway around 11 p.m., and Williams recalled that sea conditions had grown noticeably choppier by that time. He told investigators the captain initially traveled at “a really good speed” before another person on board, identified as Pascal, instructed the captain to slow down.

Roughly five minutes after that exchange, Williams made the decision to ask for a life jacket.

When commissioners pressed whether any specific event or visual cue had prompted that last-minute request, Williams responded simply: “I’m a child of God. He spoke to me.”

Fellow passenger Taylor submitted the request for the life jacket on Williams’ behalf. The boat paused its journey while he put on the vest, then resumed its course toward the mainland.

By Williams’ estimation, just two to five minutes after he finished putting on the jacket, the collision occurred and he found himself thrown into the dark ocean.

He had not spotted the other approaching vessel, he said, because his head was bowed in prayer at the time of impact. The collision, he recalled, sounded no different to him at first than a large wave hitting the hull.

“I realised my legs aren’t touching anything,” he told the hearing, describing the disorienting moment he realized he had been thrown overboard.

Williams said he quickly fell into a panic before he heard Taylor call out, alerting him that her leg had been broken in the crash.

“I called out for help,” he said.

Another survivor, Hippolyte, swam to the pair and helped them reach a large piece of floating wreckage from one of the boats, where other survivors had already gathered. Williams told commissioners that in the immediate chaos after the crash, he did not even realize the incident had been a collision between two separate vessels.

A rescue craft eventually picked up the stranded survivors and brought them to Canaries, where they waited for local emergency medical personnel to arrive. Williams confirmed to the inquiry that he walked away from the incident without any physical injuries.

On the opening day of the official public inquiry into the fatal July boat collision off Saint Lucia’s Anse Cochon coast, multiple key witnesses have openly admitted to a series of dangerous safety lapses that preceded the crash which killed four people and left multiple others injured. The July 18 collision between two leisure vessels, Ocean Angel and Cazorla Jr, in the waters off Anse La Raye left one boat destroyed and the other submerged, claiming the life of Ocean Angel crew member Tyrone Paul alongside three passengers. The ongoing Commission of Inquiry, convened to unpack the causes of the disaster and propose regulatory reforms, heard damning testimony from senior operators of both vessels on its first day.

Delan Nicholas, managing director of Ocean Angel Boat Tours, told the commission he took over command of the vessel mid-voyage after Tyrone Paul initially captained the trip from Soufrière. He confirmed that despite having life jackets on board the vessel, no safety briefing was delivered to any passengers, and the flotation devices were never distributed before the crash. He also acknowledged that the boat’s required navigation lights were switched off for the entire first leg of the journey from Soufrière to Anse Mamin, and were only activated after he took the helm. In line with maritime safety regulations, all departing vessels must notify the Soufrière lighthouse of their departure – a requirement Nicholas admitted he failed to meet. While he maintained the vessel was seaworthy and all required equipment was on board, he conceded the mandatory notification step should not have been skipped.

Survivor testimony from the voyage painted a picture of consistent, unaddressed risk. Roxanne Bonaparte, a passenger who could not swim, told the inquiry she specifically requested a life jacket before the trip, but was reassured by the captain that no flotation device was needed. She confirmed in her testimony that her police statement, given days after the collision, accurately reflected her experience: she did not see a single passenger wearing a life jacket during the entire journey, could not spot any navigation lights, and did not receive any safety instructions when boarding. Bonaparte added that the vessel was traveling far faster than she had experienced on previous trips with the same operator, to the point that the bow of the boat blocked forward visibility. When asked by Commission Chairman, retired Justice Mario Michel, why she chose to board an unlit vessel traveling at night, she explained she had taken night trips with Delan Nicholas before, and the vessel always had working lights on those occasions, so she did not anticipate danger.

Elias Nicholas, a fisherman and cousin of Delan Nicholas who was also a passenger on Ocean Angel, corroborated this testimony, confirming he did not see any navigation lights active on the vessel before the collision. He also noted that while initial captain Tyrone Paul operated the boat at a moderate speed, Delan Nicholas increased speed after taking the helm. After the crash, he grabbed a nearby life jacket and climbed onto the overturned hull of Ocean Angel, before being rescued and transferred to hospital. He told the inquiry he suffered a broken leg and head injury in the collision, waking up later at Soufrière Hospital.

Testimony from the owner of the second involved vessel, Cazorla Jr, confirmed that safety protocols were ignored on that boat as well. Irenus Pascal, owner of Cazorla Jr, told the commission his regular licensed captain was unavailable on the night of the collision, so unlicensed operator Tyson Hippolyte stepped in to command the vessel. Pascal confirmed that Cazorla Jr also did not deliver any safety briefing to passengers, and also failed to notify the Soufrière lighthouse of the vessel’s departure, describing compliance with these rules as an afterthought for local non-commercial voyages. He told the commission that for local trips with small groups, safety rules are not treated seriously, calling the practice a common “we thing” among local mariners. Pascal maintained that Cazorla Jr did have its navigation lights active on the night, but the crew never spotted the approaching Ocean Angel and received no warning of an oncoming vessel. He also confirmed the vessel was traveling faster than its usual speed on the return leg, and passengers had already asked the captain to slow down before the collision.

The Commission of Inquiry was officially established by Acting Governor General Felix Finisterre on September 1, 2026, with a broad mandate that goes beyond determining the causes of this specific crash. The body is also tasked with reviewing Saint Lucia’s existing maritime safety legislation, evaluating standard operating procedures for commercial and leisure maritime activity, and proposing evidence-based recommendations to inform the drafting of a new, updated maritime act that can prevent similar fatal incidents. Investigating officer Luciano Guard also appeared on the opening day to present witness statements and outline the progress of the official probe. After hearing testimony from five witnesses and the lead investigating officer, the first day of hearings adjourned at 7:30 p.m., with proceedings set to continue the following Wednesday.

A serious road traffic incident that left two secondary school students with life-altering injuries last month has moved through the early legal process, with the driver facing criminal charges and court approval for release on bail.

The collision unfolded on September 18 in the Cas En Bas area, when two passenger vehicles traveling in opposite directions collided head-on, according to local law enforcement accounts. The impact of the crash was so severe that both vehicles careened into two heavy construction vehicles that were left parked along the side of the road.

Amid the chaos of the collision, three pedestrians walking in the area were struck by the out-of-control vehicles. Two of those pedestrians were enrolled at Entrepot Secondary School: 16-year-old Tatiyanna Innocent and 17-year-old Jeanquan Jn Peirre. Both were rushed immediately to a local hospital for emergency medical care following the crash.

In the weeks since the incident, the full extent of the students’ injuries has become clear. Jn Peirre underwent a life-saving procedure that required surgeons to amputate his injured leg, a change that will have long-term impacts on his mobility and quality of life. Innocent, meanwhile, has already completed a major surgical procedure to repair her damage and is now working through an intensive physiotherapy regimen to regain her strength and movement.

Cuthbert Mathurin, the driver identified as the responsible party in the incident, has been formally charged with dangerous driving. He made his first court appearance on Tuesday, where a judge granted him bail set at $3,000. The case is expected to proceed through further court hearings as the legal process moves forward.