BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - SEVERAL days after a young man was gunned down in Buckley’s, another one has succumbed to violence in the Federation as persons continue to ask “when will the scourge of violence end”.
The latest incident occurred Monday (Sept. 11) evening in the heart of Basseterre, when two men stabbed a male while he was working at a gas station.
Videos of the incident made rounds on social media even before an ambulance had arrived as well as before police ranks were able to cordon off the crime scene, which, according to some, has become the new norm.
Police in a media statement explained that the criminal act was committed at a gas station on Victoria Road between 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Preliminary investigations revealed that two armed males accosted 24-year-old Kevonne Smithen of New Road at the gas station and stabbed him several times.
In its statement, the Police Force explained that on receipt of reports of the incident, officers of the Violent Crimes Unit and the Criminal Investigations Department had responded, and upon arrival they observed Smithen's motionless body on the ground with multiple stab wounds and “a knife lodged in his back”.
Police also revealed that the assailants “reportedly struck and stabbed him about the body several times before fleeing the scene. Mr. Smithen succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene”.
Monday evening’s incident brought to 21 the number of homicides recorded for 2023, which has surpassed those of 2022, 2021 and 2020.
According to the official crime statistics released by the Police Force, there were 35 homicides reported over the three-year period under review. For 2020, there were 10 homicides, 14 in 2021 and 11 in 2022.
This is alarming for many and it has prompted a number of local civil society organizations to call on the Government to do more.
National Security Minister, Dr. Terrance Drew had engaged the services of a Crime Advisor to provide recommendations, while the Commissioner of Police, James Sutton, recently confirmed that the Force has stepped up measures to protect citizens and residents against criminal activities in the Federation.
Compounding the problem for the Police Force is the number of business establishments that were robbed in recent months.
