Police have taken into custody a vehicle matching the description of the one seen leaving the scene immediately after the July 19 mass shooting in Kingstown that left five people dead.
“… I understand that there is a vehicle which is in the possession of the police, which matches a description which the police have,” Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said at a press conference on Friday.
I’m not going to comment on individual bits of evidence, because that is not my role. And actually, it would be wrong for me to do so,” he further said in response to questions about the investigation.
A 13-year-old boy and four men were killed when gunmen opened fire on a group of men who were hanging out around 8:30 p.m. at the roadside in the Harbour Club area towards the eastern end of the capital.
Gonsalves, who is also minister of national security, said that when he spoke to the police on Thursday, he was not informed as to whether anyone had been arrested in connection with the killing, which is said to be the worst mass shooting in the nation’s history.
He said that the police had not informed him about any weapons suspected to have been used in the killing.
Commissioner of Police Colin John has told the media that the spent shells retrieved from the scene suggest that an assault weapon was used in the shooting.
Gonsalves said that the investigation is in its early stages.
“The investigation is early stages, the police is carrying out the investigation. I was given the information yesterday (Thursday), broadly, as to the structure which they’ve set up, and who leading what and the assistance, which they’re secure in from authorities in Canada, and also from the Regional Security System,” the prime minister said.
He continued:
“Well, we have always been in touch with the Regional Security System, we are part of that. And on an ongoing basis, technical advice has been provided. So that’s where the story is, as far as I as Minister of National Security could relay to you.
“You’d appreciate that the commissioner would have told me many things which I cannot speak about, which indeed, he wouldn’t speak about in any audience other than to tell the Minister of National Security.
“There may be general things which he’ll talk about, as he talked about publicly about all the steps that we are doing — searches of homes, stop and search on the road and so on and so forth.”