Detectives have arrested three men in connection with the murder of a police officer and his brother, whose bodies were found at Sion Hill Bay on Thursday.
Head of the Criminal Investigations Department, Superintendent of Police, Ruth Jacobs confirmed this to iWitness News Friday morning, but declined to comment on whether the murders are believed to be reprisal killings.
Jacobs said one of the suspects is from the Central Leeward town of Layou, while the remaining two are from Rillan Hill, in the neighbouring South Leeward district.
The bodies of Police Constable Danroy Delroy Cozier, who is in his mid 20s, and his younger brother, Nicholas Cozier, said to be in his late teens, were discovered at Sion Hill Bay Thursday afternoon.
Police have offered no theories about the killings, which detective Inspector Athlan Browne, head of the Major Crime Unit — which investigates serious crimes, including homicides – has described as “sad”.
Speaking to reporters at the scene on Thursday, Browne said both bodies had what appeared to be bullet wounds.
Both bodies were lying among grass under some trees in a green area near the beach.
They were lying with their heads pointing towards the sea.
iWitness News observed what appeared to be a trail of blood along the road to the area where the bodies were found.
Sources tell iWitness News that one of the suspects is a chauffeur, and police are pursuing the theory that the killing of the brothers might be a spill off from an incident at a garage sometime ago, involving the police officer.
iWitness News further understands that a vehicle often driven by one of the men in police custody was shot at sometime later, leading police to suspect that there might be a link between that incident and the murder of the brothers.
Our sources further tell us that one of the suspects has been charged with murder at least once before, but was freed at the preliminary inquiry stage for a lack of evidence.
Police are yet to comment on the latest killings, which bring the homicide count this year to nine.
Cozier has become the second police officer to be killed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in just over a year.
On May 2, 2016, Police Constable Giovanni Charles died after being stabbed at a fair at the Belmont Primary School.
Maverick Joseph, 19, of Belmont, has been committed to stand trial for Charles’ murder.