BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Federation has recorded its third murder for the year with the early morning shooting-death of a male Newtown resident.
At about 7:50 this morning (Jan. 20), SKNVibes responded to the report of a shooting incident which resulted in the death of 32-year-old Maxwell ‘Mad Max’ Chumney of West Street, Newtown.
On arrival at the scene, this media house found a large police presence and learnt that Chumney was shot twice, with one of the bullet wounds visible on the left side of his head.
According to residents of the immediate area in which the incident occurred, a relative had visited Chumney sometime after 7:00 this morning and found him lying motionless under a shed in his yard clad only in a “three-quarter denim jeans”. An alarm was raised and the police were summoned to the scene.
Chumney was pronounced dead by District Medical Officer Dr. Mervyn Laws who was also summoned to the scene.
A female relative of the deceased, who lives within proximity of the murder scene, said one of her brothers told her that shortly after 1:00 this morning he heard the sound of four gunshots, but thought they were firecrackers.
“My brother told me about hearing the gunshots being fired early this morning, but we did not know that the gunshots were intended for my cousin until this morning at 7:45 when we got the sad news from a neighbour,” she explained.
In response to questions concerning her cousin’s lifestyle, she said, “He was a Rastaman who always wanted to be by himself. He is of quiet disposition and was not involved in any gang or group of deviant behaviour. Just last week I hugged, kissed and told him how much I love him, and now he is gone for what reason I do not know.”
Maxwell ‘Mad Max’ Chumney’s death has taken the number of murders committed in the twin-island Federation for 2010 to three. The first and second murders occurred on Nevis.
On New Year’s morn, shortly after 6:00, 26-year-old Keithon Stanley of Cole Hill was killed execution-style within a building in Craddock Road, Charlestown, Nevis. And one week after (Jan. 7), 23-year-old Kimoy ‘Pudding’ Powell of Bath Village, Nevis (originally from Irishtown, St. Kitts) was shot multiple times at Crosses Alley in Charlestown. He succumbed to his injuries at the Alexandra Hospital.
The police have yet to charge any suspects in relation to these murders, but have said that investigations into all three are ongoing.
