Two More Homicides This Week.
FREQUENT bursts of gunfire heard by residents in Castries is causing concern in several communities with people wondering whether the Police are even aware of these incidents.
The latest incident took place around 5:45 yesterday morning, according to reports made to THE VOICE.
Said one Water Works Road resident: “Four or five shots were fired in quick succession”.
Inquiries by THE VOICE revealed that the gunshots were heard in most of the communities that makeup Castries East and Castries North including Entrepot, Ravine Chabot, Cedars, Water Works Road and several parts of Marchand and Pavee.
Residents said that on Monday evening just week, they heard a volley of shots that could only come from a machine gun.
They say they have no idea where these frequent shooting were coming from. “It could be as far as The Morne for all you know. It could also have come from Bagatelle or TiRocher. All we know is these bursts of gunfire are quite loud and can be heard from miles away. Most times we hear the shooting late evening or early morning”.
Not so last Monday though, when around 9:00 p.m. what residents believe was a machine gun volley was heard throughout the communities.
“It was kinda scary”, one Entrepot resident told THE VOICE yesterday. ‘No one knows where these shots are being fired from or at who. I would hate to believe that this is taking place in a residential area.”
The residents say it is not only this week that the shots were heard. One Cedars housewife said: “From time to time we hear gunshots from our house. Sometimes it’s just one burst, another time it could be two.”
What amazes residents though is the fact that after these shootings there is no report in the media which leads some to believe that the police may not even be aware of these incidents.
A Marchand resident told THE VOICE: “We have a police station in our community but there is nothing to indicate that they are even aware of the shooting incidents. Sometimes I would swear that the shooting is taking place somewhere in the large Marchand area, within hearing of the officers in the community police station. So what is going on?”
Meanwhile, police report two more homicides occurring on Thursday and Friday. Peter Desir, 34 of Pavee, Castries was found in a pickup van in Rose Hill with an apparent gunshot injury to the head around 4:30 Thursday afternoon. He was later pronounced dead on the scene by a medical practitioner.
Then yesterday morning 52 year old Peter Satney of Sunbilt was shot three times and died on his way to hospital. Police say the incident occurred around 6:00 a.m. It was not clear whether this shooting was the same one heard by residents around the same time.
These killings brought the number of homicides for the month to 11. All but one of the homicides involved the use of firearms.
This morning there were 10 shots fired. Last week a guy stated that he was shot at on his way to work. It was six in the morning. This is a clear indication that the criminals are becoming bolder and it is no longer a gang vs gang. They are targeting anyone.