BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A 28-year-old man was gunned down last night (Jan. 7) in Lower Cayon and one individual is in custody at the Cayon Police Station assisting the authorities with their investigation.
Dead is Desroy ‘Piggy’ James of Hermitage Extension, commonly called ‘Hog Village’ by members of that Lower Cayon community.
On learning of the shooting incident, this morning SKNVibes arrived at the Cayon Police Station at approximately 7:38 a.m. to glean information. However, no senior personnel was there to provide any, but three females who were outside of the station claimed that a male member of their family was arrested on suspicion of murder and they have proof of his innocence.
This media house then journey to the home of Allison James, who said that the deceased was the eldest of her seven children.
Recounting the events before and after her son’s death, Allison said that yesterday afternoon while going on an errand, she had left her son entertaining a friend within her home.
“Yesterday afternoon at 3:40 I left him home with a friend who has a car. On my return home at approximately 8:10 p.m., I called him on the phone to enquire where he was and he said that he was in Frigate Bay with the same friend and would be coming home soon.
“The friend brought him home sometime before nine o’clock and he changed his clothes and told me that he was going and lime where Grand Masters Band was playing. Shortly after he left, I heard about six shots being fired and someone called and asked me where my son was. I told them that he had just left the home to go and lime.”
The distraught mother said that her son was in the company of another young man when he had left the home.
“The person who called told me that they too heard the shots fired and that they suspected my son was the victim of the shooting. I immediately dialed his number but got no response. I called him about five times and the results were the same. So, I left my home in search of him and learned that he and the friend were walking through a track west of my home when someone started shooting at him.
“I learned that when the person or persons started to shoot at him, he ran east along the road going towards the ocean and then into a neighbour’s yard to escape from whosoever was shooting at him. From all signs in the neighbour’s yard, it seems as if he was trying to jump over her fence but fell down and died right there. I saw two holes in his body.”
This media house was informed that the friend escaped unhurt during the incident.
According to his mother, James grew with his maternal grandmother in Sarah Bowry, Upper Cayon, and after her death some 10 years ago he was living alone in that house until recently when he moved to Hermitage Extension.
“Since as an infant, my son was under his grandmother’s care. I was also living in the same yard but had to move after Hurricane George destroyed my home.
“After my mother’s death, he used to mix with wrong company. However, about four years ago, we sat together and spoke about the company he kept and he decided that he was going to quit them. Indeed he did! Since that time, he carefully chose his friends and rarely went out to party.
“I know that the police are going to do whatever they can to find the person or persons who killed my son. But it is known in this country that whenever people see or know who commits a crime, especially murder, they remain silent because they fear for their lives. However, I am a child of God and I am going to fast and pray and He will reveal all to me, for He is a merciful God and He does not forsake his children.”
While at the scene, investigators, including members of the Crime Scene Department and the Canine Section of the Customs and Excise Department were seen combing the general area with a Metal Detector and two sniffer dogs.
The shooting-death of Desroy ‘Piggy’ James marks the first homicide committed in the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis for the year. Last year had seen a record-breaking 34 homicides in the country.
