15-year-old Shinika Riley Jean Phillip died tragically this week after she was gunned down in La Coudou, Castries.
According to police, Phillip, from George Charles Boulevard, Marchard was shot multiple times on Wednesday about 7:30 p.m. and was transported to the Owen King Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
The teen’s death has raised a number of questions and continues to attract widespread attention on social media. This is largely due to rumours being circulated on Facebook painting the teen in a bad light.
Furthermore, an individual, who describes himself as Phillip’s friend, in an interview with HTS this week, said that he’d warned the deceased about the life she had chosen.
The friend, who chose to stay anonymous, said Phillip’s demise had affected him and also noted that she was flawed.
Nonetheless, he said, “they didn’t (have) to kill her” because she’s a young girl.
He also admitted that “she used to do things but still she’s young so (it’s) hard to come out from things (you’re) doing already.”
“I used to talk to her, all of us used to talk to her and tell her… she (has) to stop (and) for a girl she (can’t) be doing (these) things, she (has) to change. She always (told) us she (would) change … she even wanted to go back to school,” he said.
But Phillip, who was reportedly killed by masked gunmen did not have a chance to turn her life around, her friend indicated, which leads us to this question: will it ever end?
With so many parents burying their children at an early age, what then, must be done to tackle this problem?
This is a question that has been posed repeatedly on social media.
Acting Police Commissioner Verne Garde is hoping to improve the situation in Saint Lucia and has vowed to take a strategic approach.
Last week he visited an area that has long been stigmatized to connect with members of the community.
It is all part of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force’s Community Policing initiative. Garde is hoping that this initiative will help the situation overall. (It is one of many items on his agenda).
“We’ve embarked on a neighbourhood policing strategy containing (an) intelligence led, problem solving and community policing approach,” Garde said recently.
“Community policing is one of the areas that have been underutilised in the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force over the years. We’ve always had a bit of lip service in that regard but we have not put in the resources towards community policing and that is why I thought it necessary that one of the first legs of the neighbourhood policing strategy we would employ would be the community policing module,” the Commissioner said.
Meanwhile, the RSLPF is seeking assistance from the public to solve the teen’s death.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Marchard Police Station at 456-3885. Alternatively, anonymous tips can be sent to 555 (the Crime Hotline) or by utilizing the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force’s Crime Hotline Application, which is available in the Google Play Store.