BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN light of the recent spate of gun violence in St. Kitts in which the lives of six young men were snuffed out over a seven-day period, the St. Kitts Christian Council is saddened by this national calamity and is offering advice to all and sundry.
In a recent press release, the religious body wrote, “We call upon all citizens, parents, leaders of civic institutions, law enforcement, political entities, and government to examine: The ways in which we are raising our children; the kinds of rhetoric and intolerant behaviour that we are modelling that could lead to these types of callous disregard for the sanctity of life; and the proliferation of guns in our nation.”
The release also said that the Christian Council wishes to reiterate that the church holds very dearly the value of human life.
“We believe that life is a precious gift from God, our Creator,” it added. “As such, we are deeply pained and anguished when one human life is taken by another. When there is such great loss, as we have experienced during this month, we are exceedingly alarmed and distressed.”
The St. Kitts Christian Council further stated that the nation could not continue in that manner and called upon God to “guide us in our efforts at transforming our nation into the paradise for which we hope”.
The Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Moravian and Salvation Army anre member churches of the St Kitts Christian Council, with Canon P Allister Rawlins as Chairman; Vice Chairman - Reverend Telford D Matthew; Lay Pastor Isilin V Lewis and Ms. Colleen Evelyn as Secretary and Assistant Secretary respectively; and Mrs. Corinne Small as Treasurer.
To date, seven homicides have been committed in the Federation; six on St. Kitts and one on sister isle Nevis.
The first victim was 28-year-old Jelani Liburd of Craddock Road, Nevis, who died at the Alexandra Hospital on Tuesday (Jan. 22) after he was shot in the Stoney Grove area on Tuesday (Jan. 1).
The second and third homicides occurred sometime after 10:00 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 8) in the Green Tree area, where 33- year-old Musa ‘Ziggy’ Warner and his 22-year-old cousin, Shakeem Warner, both of Green Tree, Old Road, St. Kitts, were shot. They were transported to the JNF Hospital where they later succumbed to their injuries.
The fourth homicide victim was 28-year-old Eric ‘Jun Jun’ Thompson, who, on arrival at his Ponds Pasture’s home, was shot multiple times by a lone gunman at about 10:00 p.m. on Monday (Feb. 11).
The fifth victim was Vere Amory, also known as ‘Stiff Jacket’ and ‘Money’, of Ponds Pasture, Newtown, who was reportedly shot and killed in the Alley, Sandy Point shortly after seven o’clock last evening (Feb. 13).
Joel ‘Booyaka’ Phillip of St. Johnston Village was the sixth homicide victim. He was reportedly shot to death while asleep in his home at about 2:00 a.m. Thursday (Feb. 14).
And the seventh homicide victim was 26-year-old Gavin Rogers, who, shortly before midday on Thursday (Feb. 14), was shot to death in his Wingfield Road home.
