BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE New Year has arrived and while it has brought joy to some people, it is not so for a particular family, as one of their young members died this morning after being shot in the Pinney’s area on Nevis.
Reports reaching SKNVibes state that a 22-year-old man, whose name was given as Alex ‘Indo’ Claxton, was shot shortly after 5:00 this morning (Jan. 1) and subsequently died at the Alexandra Hospital.
The reports also state that the incident occurred after Claxton had left an Old Year’s Night function at Sunshine's Beach Bar and Restaurant on Pinney’s Beach for his Bath Village residence.
It is understood that Claxton was also a resident of Newtown and only three months ago (Oct. 1) he had been released from Her Majesty's Prison after being found not guilty by an eight-woman-four-man jury of shooting at with intent.
He was charged with the November 17, 2011 shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm at Cleavon Chumney of the Delta Squad and Gareth Phillip of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force.
The prosecution had called four witnesses, including Chumney and Phillip, to make their case but was unsuccessful in trying to prove that between 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on the day in question while in an alley on West Street, Claxton shot at Chumney and Phillip after they had identified themselves as officers and ordered him to stop. Claxton then allegedly made his escape onto Wellington Road in the vicinity of the Public Works Department.
However, there were many discrepancies in the prosecution's case as the testimonies of star witnesses - Chumney and Phillip - did not corroborate.
The defence was successful in convincing the jury that Claxton did not have a firearm in his possession and that he was the one being shot at, hence his running away, not knowing that Chumney was in fact a police officer because he did not identify himself as one.
Details of Claxton’s death are sketchy at this time, and attempts to contact the Police Press and Public Relations Officer this morning were futile.
However, more on this incident as information becomes available.
