Police were on high alert following a shooting incident that claimed the lives of five people, including a 13-year-old boy.

Late in the evening of Wednesday, July 19, the police force of Kingstown, the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, rushed to the Harbour Club region responding to a mass shooting alert. 

On their arrival, the police discovered that an armed group, who came in a vehicle, had opened fire on the crowd that had gathered in the area. The brutal attack took five lives. Investigators suspect an assault firearm was used in the attack.

The mass shooting has provoked worries over possible retributions. During a press briefing on July 20, Police Commissioner Colin John stressed the profound implications of the incident.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, on an official visit to Morocco, conveyed his condolences to the victims’ families through a video address. He vowed to deliver justice by bringing the killers and the instigators to justice.

Montgomery Daniel, the acting Prime Minister, reiterated the government’s commitment to identify the culprits and their motives. In a revealing statement, Daniel mentioned that a few victims had been targets of failed assassination attempts in the past.

It’s noteworthy that the US and the Caribbean nations are joining forces to combat regional crime and violence. A major point of discussion in a recent meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Caribbean heads in Trinidad was the illegal firearms trade from the US into the Caribbean.