A third person has lost their life in a shooting in Anguilla in just over a week, police have confirmed.
During a government press conference on 15 July, Acting Commissioner of Police Haslyn Patterson said there had been a fatality in Blowing Point on Sunday, 14 July.
A second person was wounded, he told viewers of the live broadcast. He did not give any further details.
The incident follows two other fatal shootings on Long Bay Road on 10 July and in White Hill on 7 July, and gunshot injuries in South Hill on 30 June and at Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre on 21 June.
Patterson said the majority of the shootings are likely gang related and “one shooting leads to another”, adding that it is “the spirit of retaliation”.
It is “difficult to say” at this point if drugs are involved, he said.
Most of the weapons used have been small firearms, the acting police chief said, but added that in one case, a high-powered weapon was used.
“These senseless shootings are terribly unacceptable. Many families have been devastated and to our communities, I would like to say, we hear your concerns around safety and security,” he said.
“I would like to assure you that we are doing everything that we can to bring justice to those families and to restore safety and peace to our communities.
“We will not stop until we achieve this objective.”
Shooting incidents
On 10 July, 26-year-old Jhareem Carter was killed in a shooting on Long Bay Road. Officers of the Royal Anguilla Police Force attended the scene shortly after 11.30pm.
Police confirmed that a man had been shot and fatally wounded. The scene was locked down and a full investigation began.
Just a few days prior, on 7 July, police fatally shot a 19-year-old from Rey Hill during a suspected armed robbery at Island Supermarket in White Hill sometime after 4.45pm.
The name of the young man has not yet been made public.
A local investigation has been launched to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and a team of investigators from the British Virgin Islands are reviewing the inquiry.
Three men sustained gunshot wounds and another person was injured during a “shooting incident” on Back Street in South Hill at about 8pm on 30 June.
And one man recieved medical attention after he was shot in the grounds of the new Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre in The Valley at about 9.45am on 21 June.
No arrests have been made yet in relation to any of the shootings, Patterson said.
“We are concerned about the levels of violence we’re seeing, and we’re doing everything within our powers based on the resources we have to address them,” he said during the press conference.
“I’m quite sure that we’ll bring those that are responsible to justice, given time.”
Anyone with information on these or any other incidents can call 911 or (264) 497-2333, or leave an anonymous message at www.gov.ai/911
