BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - FOLLOWING last evening’s (Jul. 21) shooting incident in McKnight which left two dead and three injured, Acting Minister of National Security the Hon. Mark Brantley, on behalf of the Team Unity Government, has condemned the violence being experienced in St. Kitts and Nevis.
In an address to the nation today, Brantley called on the Opposition, Churches, NGOs and civil society to send a clear signal that criminals, criminality and violence have no place in this society in any form and “is unacceptable in our small nation”.
He said that the security forces and the High Command of the Police Force have been directed to engage fully and work robustly with all communities throughout the Federation to arrest the problem of crime.
“Those few among us who are intent on criminality will find no solace in St. Kitts and Nevis,” Brantley said. “The majority of our law abiding and peace loving people will not be prevented from leading productive lives by the miscreant few.”
The problem of crime and gun violence, Brantley declared, is a “two-decade-old phenomenon” that continues to “bedevilled” the Federation.
“It is a major societal problem which we as a Government are grappling with,” Brantley said, adding that “the vast majority of the people of the Federation are law abiding and decent citizens and we cannot allow a small minority to terrorize the majority.”
Brantley, who is also the Deputy Premier of Nevis, informed that the Government stands committed to the task at hand and it is urging the public to join forces for a noble cause.
“This Government is fully committed to the safety and security of our citizenry. We have invested significant resources to date and will continue to invest heavily to arrest this scourge. But crime is a societal problem and all the spending and policing in the world will not eradicate it from our midst unless we have a change in hearts and minds, and unless our people in our homes and our schools and our churches and our communities decide to stand together in solemn solidarity to arrest this problem.”
Addressing to subject of statistics on violent crime in the Federation, Brantley said: “I know that cold statistics provide little comfort to those families left to mourn or to the communities left traumatized by these senseless acts of brutality.”
To this end, he reiterated the Government’s solemn commitment to confront crime and criminality in all its forms.
At about 8:30 p.m. yesterday, Cleon Gilbert of Lower Cayon and Kyle Allen of Central Thibou Avenue were killed, while Omax Bye of Fort Thomas Road, Vance Nisbett of Thibou Avenue and Kevis Cotton of Upper College Street suffered injuries folloing a shooting incident on Upper Thibou Avenue in McKnight.
Information reaching SKNVibes states that the men were among a group in Upper Thibou Avenue celebrating the life of Kevin ‘Money’ Heyliger, who was buried yesterday afternoon, when two masked men emerged from an alley and fired dozens of shots in their direction.
The police are asking anyone who may have information on this incident to contact the nearest police station or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 (TIPS).
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