Prime Minister Godwin Friday says the government is working on a comprehensive response to the shooting in Green Hill that left four people dead and four injured, combining immediate security measures with efforts to address the causes of violent crime.
The shooting on Friday night occurred while the prime minister was overseas and hours after he addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the first time since being elected in November.
Speaking on NBC Radio on Wednesday, the prime minister described the incident as “heartbreaking,” noting that the people involved were young.
He expressed sympathy for the victims’ families and said the violence was unacceptable.
“This is heartbreaking stuff. Because you look at the ages of the persons involved. These are young people at the beginning of their lives,” he said.
Police have confirmed that Green Hill residents Steve King, 22; Antonio Samuel, 32, and Shaqueil Peters, 26, as well as Shevern Chandler, 23, of Paul’s Avenue were killed in the incident.
Multiple reliable sources have told iWitness News that a 20-year-old Green Hill woman received injuries to her right hand; a 17-year-old male student received injuries to his right arm, right leg and left hand; a 28-year-old man received injuries to his right arm; and a 16-year-old mechanic received injuries to his left thigh, right forearm and left hand.
The prime minister said the hope is that “others who see these terrible results of certain choices that we will be able to reach the people who are engaged in these kinds of incidents to say, ‘This is not the way for us to conduct ourselves..”
He said he was in touch with the Minister of National Security, Deputy Prime Minister and then-acting Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock after the shooting.
“And we spoke about it. We have had follow-up since I came back. We had meetings with the top brass and with the commissioner [of police] and the minister himself, and we are looking for and seeking and putting in place a comprehensive plan to deal with crime and violence, especially violent crimes in our country.”
Friday noted his New Democratic Party’s stance on violence in St. Vincent and the Grenadines when the party was in office, before winning the general election last November.
“We spoke about it a lot when we were in opposition, and we have put our minds to it here in government, and we intend to follow through.”
The prime minister, however, said that addressing the situation “requires everyone”.
“We said that from the very beginning, and so we are creating a broader-based approach as to how we address this matter,” the prime minister said.
He said that this it will not be done simply by having a heavier presence, even as he added that this is needed in immediate reaction in particular areas where these incidents occur.
“But we have to look at the source problem,” the prime minister said.
“Why are these young people moving in this direction? How do we combat this? What are the things that we need to do as a society?
“This is why it takes an all-of-society approach to be able to address this problem at its root causes, and that is the approach that we are taking.”
He noted that in his address to the UNGA, he mentioned the problem of guns in the region.
“We don’t make guns here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” the prime minister said.
“I’m seeing submachine guns. We’re seeing high-powered rifles. We’re seeing all kinds of weapons coming in there.
“How are they getting into the country, and what do we do to stem that? And it’s a matter that involves us in the region, but also outside of the region, to take steps to prevent what is really the trafficking of weapons into our region, and they are causing havoc.”
Friday said that part of the solution is also looking at opportunities for young people – “alternatives that are more positive and constructive.
“And so, when I say about having a comprehensive approach, that’s what we are about now,” the prime minister said.
“But it’s a tragedy, and my heart goes out to the family members of those persons who died,” the prime minister said.
“And again, I reiterate the appeal that was made by the deputy prime minister and by people in society in general that this is not something that anyone … can condone, and for those persons who are involved in creating these terrible incidents that generate insecurity in our communities, fear of people participating in public events, this is not our lifestyle in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“And we will come to terms with it, and we will solve this problem. We will deal with it in a way that is effective and long-lasting, and that’s our plan going forward,” the prime minister said.