Police PRO debunks civilians’ assertions
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A late afternoon shooting in Cayon resulted in a young man being wounded, arrested and admitted to the JNF General Hospital.
Information reaching SKNVibes states that at approximately 5:15 p.m. today (July 4), Elsroy 'Heads' Mills of Spooners was allegedly shot in the leg by a member of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF) in the vicinity of the old Cotton Ginnery in Spooners, Cayon, some 500 metres from the Island’s Main Road.
This media house was told by residents of the area that earlier in the afternoon, the 23-year-old Mills had an altercation with two young men in the vicinity of Grant’s Ice Cream Parlour in Lower Cayon.
They claimed that he was in possession of a firearm and had fired a number of shots at the two men whose names were given as Cranke and Chippie, but, fortunately, none of them was injured.
The residents also claimed that Mills fled the scene on foot and was seen running west in the direction of the mountains, but a military truck with about a section of soldiers were in the area and they gave chase.
They further claimed that Mills, who had changed from an easterly to southerly direction in his escape bid, was cornered by the soldiers in Spooners where they had an exchange of fire.
And as expected, the soldiers won the firefight and Mills was shot in the right leg.
He was subsequently apprehended, placed in an ambulance and transported to the hospital where he underwent emergency treatment for his injury.
Police Press and Public Relations Officer (PRO) Inspector Vaughan Henderson however disputed this version of the incident.
Henderson told SKNVibes that at 4:37 p.m., police received a report about a shooting incident at Market Alley in the vicinity of Cayon Primary School.
The PRO said the police responded and found Mills with a backpack and a firearm in his hand.
Henderson also said that the officers ordered Mills to surrender the firearm but he did not, and the police was forced to shoot him in the leg.
He further said that Mills escaped from the officers who were joined by members of the Special Services Unit and the Anti-Narcotics Unit who were supported by members of the SKNDF.
The PRO said the joint forces “went in search of Mills and captured him and recovered the backpack but not the firearm. They are still in search of the weapon”.
Inspector Henderson added that Mills was taken to the hospital where he “underwent emergency medical treatment and is in stable condition under police guard”.
Ironically, when SKNVibes arrived at Spooners, two Police Sergeants in civilian clothes, one uniformed Constable, the driver of the military vehicle and a relatively large number of civilians were seen.
And one man from among the civilians, who resides in the immediate area, was overheard saying, “I thought it was fireworks in celebration for the Fourth of July with all that shooting.”
