BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TWO teenagers charged with the murder of Kelvin ‘Boopie’ Hazel and the attempted murder of Elron Wilkinson appeared yesterday (June 6) before a city magistrate and were remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison.
Charged with the two offences are 19-year-old Kai Cabey and a juvenile, who both reside at Fort Thomas Road, Basseterre.
According to a police press release, officers of the Criminal Investigation Department formally arrested and charged the two young men at 12:25 p.m. on Saturday, June 4.
At approximately 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, 2011, the two teenagers allegedly gunned down the 17-year-old Hazel in a street near to his home in Pine Garden Shadwell.
Hazel’s lifeless body was found lying face down on the road with multiple gunshot wounds to his back, while Wilkinson (16) of Shadwell Estate was shot about the body and spent several hours undergoing surgery at the JNF General Hospital.
This media house learnt that he has since been discharged.
On the night of the incidents, SKNVibes learnt that shortly after playing a game of basketball on the street, Hazel and Wilkinson were hanging out with a group of young men when two masked gunmen suddenly appeared from behind a building and started shooting at them.
Residents indicated that Wilkinson ran through the back door of a nearby house where a party was in progress and exited through the front. However, on exiting, one of the gunmen shot him and fled the scene.
Hazel, on the other hand, ran towards the direction of his home but did not make it to safety.
One individual claimed that the gunmen were firing shot indiscriminatingly and one bullet had entered a resident’s home after penetrating one of the aluminum panes of a window.
This information was confirmed as officers of the Criminal Investigations Department and the Crime Scene Department were seen examining the strike and entering the building.
A number of spent shells were also retrieved by the police, who noted that they would be taken into custody, along with other items of evidential value, for further analysis.
Hazel’s death had taken the number of homicides recorded in the twin-island Federation for the year to 12; 11 on St. Kitts and one on Nevis.
