Paul’s Avenue resident Jawanza Sanga Fraser, who had survived several attempts on his life, was shot and killed earlier today — Friday, Sept. 13, a “Black Friday”.
Fraser died at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, where he was taken after being shot in his home community in the heart of the city sometime around 2 p.m.
The details surrounding the shooting are unclear but reports are that Fraser was rushed to hospital in a private vehicle after being fatally wounded.
Initial reports are that at least one other person was injured during the shooting.
One law enforcement source told iWitness News that Fraser’s murder could result in reprisal killings even as the homicide count reached 30, following the record 55 homicides (52 of them murders) that St. Vincent and the Grenadines recorded last year.
Fraser was killed just over a year after his brother, Lamont Hector aka “Dutchie”, also of Paul’s Avenue, and five other males were gunned down in Kingstown on July 19, 2023, in the worst mass killing in recent history of SVG.
Police are yet to crack that case despite offering an EC$50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.
Before he was cut down in a hail of bullets on Friday, Fraser survived a gun attack on Dec. 23, 2022.
On that date, Fraser and Omo Wally Simmons were injured when a gunman exited a white Nissan Tiida that had been driving in the area and opened fire.
On Oct. 15, 2017, Fraser was shot six times by the occupants of a vehicle, who opened fire on him while he was standing at the roadside near Avenues Sports Bar in Paul’s Avenue between 11 a.m. and noon.
Fraser, a businessman and farmer, told iWitness News then that he had just come from his farm and was speaking on the phone when a car, whose make and model he identified, stopped next to him and the occupants opened fire.
Fraser told iWitness News that he received “six graze shots” in the attack, sustaining injuries to his left arm, hip, and neck.
He said that one of his attackers had attempted to shoot him in the head, but the bullet grazed his neck instead.
That shooting had come mere hours after Gregory “Woody” Abraham, was killed and seven other people injured in Diamond in what was then the worst mass shooting in the history of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Police recovered some 40 spent shells at the scene.
Fraser’s death comes less than two months after six people were shot and injured in Paul’s Avenue on July 19, the first anniversary of the mass killing in Kingstown.
He was killed just two weeks after a local website published an article featuring his “journey to give back”, having donated 400 school bags containing school supplies to needy children.
Police have launched an investigation into Friday’s killing.
My sincere condolences to the family. (If you saw the identity of the shooter(s), you have to watch out)
SVG police need help! Lots of help! Finger printing is one area they should make great strides to accomplish this task. All those bullets obtained from the crime scene will probably have some finger print on them. How come the police cannot trace cars involved in shooting? Are they shipped oversea immediately?
Something is terribly wrong with the judicial system, police actions and the penalties for crime committed. There should and must be a special unit to handle the increase in crime. Folks should not be asked to pass information to any police. That police could be involved in crime unknown to other police. This unit must and should be separated from other units, so that no information is shared.
Won’t be a bad idea to bring in these extra police who are not residents and are unknown to locals.
Condolences to Toetsy, Corny, Muscle, Goaty, Fay, Chero, Percy Rock, Rat Brown, Omadara and the whole extended family and friends.
From outrage and wide discussions for 1 murder per year to silence on 30 and ever increasing amount ( all we seems to do now is just count ) ,Vincentians has lost their voice an moral dignity thanks to their papa .
This perhaps to help with the message of the commemoration of agricultural week by the ministry . ( ” Fraser, a businessman and farmer ” )
and Slopes, Monty
What goes around, comes around. The world is better off with the departure of certain individuals. No tears here.
May his soul rest in peace. I hope the police will find the culprit with the help from the community.
All these killings doesn’t worth it at all.
People need to settle their differences more amicably.
Where are all the ctv cameras in Kingstown? This area of the city is a hotspotvand camera will do a lot of good rather than relying on eyewitness account. In 2020 in my area in the diaspora, there was a assassination by two tugs of an innocent civilian the civilians camera were there to record the entire episode.
There was a conviction and an appropriate sentence. The perpetrator even tried to deny that he was the person seen in the camera even though the pictures were clearv as crystal.
St vincent is in need of a hanging court. The Privy Council, our highest Appellate court has outlived its usefulness and practicality. The wimp Friday does not support capital punishment, neither does the Comrade. We therefore find ourselves between a rock and a hard place.