RIP Krystal

Late Monday afternoon, from a spectacular vantage, I watched as boats glided into the Vigie habour, now and again taking pictures. But that was moments before learning a young woman had been shot near Auberge Seraphine. Wondering which of the vessels was involved in this tragic incident I decided to make my way to the boat yard.

To my surprise it had been cordoned off. Officers at the scene would only confirm that four people had been shot. They denied all access.

Attempts to take photographs from another location proved futile. But for obvious reasons I refused to be put off. Little did I know this would all lead to a story different than any I’d ever written. As it turned out, one of the four persons shot had been one of my closest friends, someone I’d gone to school with, and known from the time I was seven years old: Twenty-three-year-old Krystal Felix. And now she was dead.

Three days later, family friends and well wishers took to the streets in honour of Krystal. On Thursday evening hundreds attended a candlelight vigil that started at the Vigie Playing Field. St Lucians lit up the night sky with candles and made their way to the boatyard where Krystal had lost her life.

The occasion brought people together from all over the island in a silent protest against a tragedy that never should have happened. There was much talk about gun violence and how little was being done about it.

So, now, what to say about Krystal? She was a vibrant young woman with boundless potential. Do I talk also about her beauty, her strength, her spirituality? Every time I think about her smile I break down all over again. Do I talk about the countless times she came to my defense and the defense of people she cared about? Do I talk about how we went to her house on Monday night hoping to see her? For now, suffice it to say, she will not soon be forgotten. May justice be served.