Yesterday, Thursday 9th March, 2023 violence erupted in Vieux Fort after 4 persons became the island’s latest victims of gun violence. In 3 separate shooting incidients all within the space of a few hours, 3 persons were killed and a 9-year-old sustained gun shot wounds. Dead are twenty-eight (28) year old, Delan Ruport Bastien of Bruceville; sixty-one (61) year old, Rufus Stephen of Bruceville; fifty-nine (59) year old, Loraine Savery of Bruceville, Vieux Fort. The 9-year old is reported by Police to be in stable condition in hospital.
Earlier today, Parlimentary Representative for Vieux Fort South, Dr. Kenny Anthony described the incidents as “unprecedented carnage”.
“It is inconceivable that in a small community like Vieux Fort, the perpetrators of this wave of brutality are unknown.
It cannot be acceptable that the town should be held hostage to gangs. Today, schools have been closed. A District Sports Meet has been postponed. Commerce has been affected as persons in nearby communities are fearful of travelling to Vieux Fort to conduct business. Citizens are afraid to walk the streets to visit stores or to engage in social activities. By evening, Vieux Fort has virtually become a ghost town.
Despite marches against crime and violence in the community, prayer vigils and engagement of influential individuals by civil society groups to urge peace and the disarming of gang members, there has been no respite in the wanton killings. There can be no question that the approach to fighting crime in Vieux Fort has to change dramatically. There has to be a complete re-thinking of the strategy of fighting crime in Vieux Fort. The present approaches are simply not working. They are not yielding results. The citizens of Vieux Fort feel that they are unprotected by those charged with the responsibility to protect them. This has to change if the community is to co-operate with law enforcement.”
Parlimentary Representative for VIeux Fort South, Dr. Kenny Anthony.
Later, Prime Minister Philip took to his facebook page where he issued the below statement:
We Must All Take Action to Protect Our Country
Yesterday’s gang violence has left behind not only broken families but communities fearful for their safety. The seemingly targeted and retaliatory homicides which intensified over the past few weeks have no place in an economy poised for economic development and growth. We must work together to combat the growing presence of firearms on our streets and to protect our citizens from the scourge of gun-related crime. We must all take action to reduce the number of guns in circulation in Saint Lucia.
In addition to strengthening existing laws, and providing firearm detection equipment and training to the police, I am calling on members of the public to do their part by reporting any suspicious activities relating to guns or other dangerous weapons. The criminals do not care about us, therefore we must commit to safeguarding our lives and livelihoods by having zero tolerance for crime. I am calling on our workers who man the ports and other unguarded routes of entry to carry out their duties honourably.
The government will also continue to work with the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force by providing them with resources that will facilitate the investigation and prosecution of illegal gun possession. We will also work to increase awareness of the dangers posed by gun-related crime on affected families and the psychology of our nation.
Saint Lucia does not produce firearms. Our region has become a dumping ground for illegal arms. Saint Lucia is working with friendly governments to provide the necessary resources for our country to deal with strengthening our capacity to deal with these issues. CARICOM Heads of Government are due to meet in April this year, to further discuss “Violence As a Public Health Crisis” and provide solutions to this regional issue.
I call on the public to support the police and their efforts as they work valiantly to address this situation and bring peace back to our communities. We cannot continue in this vein. We will all suffer. The police have been called to take all necessary measures to bring the situation back to some degree of normality.
We must fight these criminal gangs and their leaders who are intent on destroying our country for their own selfish and criminal reasons.
I am confident that with our collective efforts, we can make Saint Lucia a safer place by ridding ourselves of these cowards and criminals.
Later that afternoon, Police Commissioner, Crusita Descartes-Pelius also issued a video address on Facebook appealing to members of the public for information. Mrs. Descartes-Pelius having taken over the helm of the Police Force in November 2022 noted her organisation’s efforts to curb crime in the southern town and the wider country. Her full address can be found here: https://fb.watch/jbzSbL5iCM/.
The citizens of the town of Vieux Fort are no strangers to increased gun violence as there were several reports of gang warfare perpetrated throughout 2022. It would now appear that criminal elements have now imposed their own curfew on the people of the southern town.
As of Friday evening, new reports indicate 2 more persons have been killed in Vieux Fort and another nursing gun shot wounds. Businesses in the south issued statements that in an abundance of caution for the safety of their staff and patrons their doors were shuttered early.
