Three people — a businesswoman and two of her male customers — were shot and killed in a shop in Belmont Friday night, while two other people were injured in the deadliest shooting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) in two years.
Lesline Davis died behind the Lotto machine where she had been when a gunman opened fire at her shop, located below the Belmont Government School, around 8:30 p.m.
Two of her customers, Joel Browne — an identical twin — and Demeon Cumberbatch, Belmont residents who were socialising after finishing working at a business place nearby, were also shot and killed.
A 7-year-old boy, said to be one of Davis’ relatives, was shot, reportedly in the shoulder and remained in hospital on Saturday.
However, an adult male, who was also injured in the shooting, returned to the scene around 12:25 a.m. Saturday after being treated in the hospital.
The man had a bandaged right foot and walked with a limp.
He left the scene in the company of police officers who had wrapped up their initial investigation by that time.
The motive for the killing remains unknown, but people at the scene speculated that it might have been a robbery attempt.
They noted that Davis, a trafficker — the local name for people who buy agricultural produce and sell them in other Caribbean countries — had been the target of robberies and attempted robberies over the years.
Police at the scene declined to release the most basic of information, including the names and ages of the victims. They have offered no theories about the killing.
Police are also yet to issue a statement on the killings that have brought to five the number of people killed in SVG in three days.
Scores of people gathered outside the police cordons Friday night as detectives combed through the crime scene.
The bodies of the two males were sandwiched in front of the counter of the shop, and both of them still had their backpacks on their backs.
At one point, a detective answered one of the dead man’s cell phones, which had been ringing continuously.
Outside the cordon, one woman opined that the men would not have been inside the shop had it not been raining.
She said that they usually would buy drinks and socialise on the side of the road.
Among the people who visited the scene was MP for East St. George, where part of Belmont is located, Camillo Gonsalves.
He interacted with people outside the cordon and with a police officer inside. Four of the killings occurred in East St. George.
Gonsalves, who is also minister of finance, declined to comment to iWitness News, saying he did not want to “prejudge” the situation.
MP for South Central Windward Saboto Caesar, who is the minister of agriculture and industry, also visited the scene.
Carly John, the husband of opposition senator, Shevern John also visited the scene and expressed frustration at the killing.
His comments suggested that Davis had been a mother to him after his mother died and expressed hope that police would apprehend the perpetrator(s).
Friday’s killing is the second shooting death of a businessperson in SVG in three days.
On Tuesday, Stephen King aka King-O, 76, of Green Hill, was shot and killed while sitting on his patio around noon, leaving his family and community wondering about the motive for his murder.
As the gunmen moved in on him, neighbours heard King shouting, “What I do you? What I do you? Please don’t kill me!”
However, his pleas fell on deaf ears as two assailants opened fire on the senior citizen before fleeing the scene in a car.
King operated an appliance business from a store near his home.
Police said that masked assailants entered King’s property and shot him multiple times before fleeing.
He was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH), where he died shortly after arrival.
Then, on Wednesday, Ronaldo Adams, 21, of Glen, died at the MCMH, where he was taken after being stabbed around 11:30 a.m. during an altercation, reportedly over plumrose.
Police said he was stabbed during an altercation near a barber shop.
One person was in police custody assisting with the investigation into Adams’ death, police said.
Police are asking anyone with information that can assist their investigations to telephone +1784-456-1810, +1784-457-1211, 999, 911 or their nearest police station.
Alternatively, they can speak with any police officer.
“All information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality,” police said.
SVG recorded its deadliest shooting on July 19, 2023, when five males, including a 13-year-old student, were killed in Kingstown.
The killings this week have brought the homicide count this year to 15.