An indiscriminate shooting spree, in the Stoney Ground/Little Dix area, which left four persons injured in several parts of their bodies, on Sunday night, November 21, has been condemned by a number of leaders in Anguilla.
A statement from the Royal Anguilla Police Force said that two of the victims were discharged soon after receiving treatment at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, while the other two remained hospitalised. The Police are appealing to persons who might have been in the area, at the time of the shooting, to contact the Major Crime Unit of the Royal Anguilla Police Force. In addition, persons can speak to any officer of their choice or comfortable with. Information can also be sent to the RAPF’s tips website by logging on to www.gov.ai 911, which is a secured website.
Police Commissioner, Mr. David Lynch, described the shooting incident as quite shocking and worrying, and said it was the second shooting in Anguilla within ten days. That shooting occurred at Lit Lounge at Sandy Ground – and the perpetrator was arrested. One person had been arrested, so far, in connection with the Stoney Ground/Little Dix incident – and Commissioner Lynch anticipated that more arrests were likely to be made.
Speaking during the Government’s press conference on Monday, November 22, the Commissioner stated: “We have had some good support from persons in the area. It was quite shocking when persons were randomly shooting in an area where, obviously, there were children. This is not what should be happening here.”
According to him, it was outrageous and unacceptable to have this level of violence on the island. He stressed that the importation of firearms into Anguilla was not acceptable, and that people’s lives were being put at risk.
He emphasised that there was a need for the public to speak out more against gun violence, and that it was just sheer luck that there were not more deaths. The Commissioner was of the view that the legislation on firearms should be further strengthened to curb gun violence. He noted that, in the UK, persons caught with a firearm, or ammunition, could spend between seven and ten years in prison.
Meanwhile, Acting Premier, Mr. Haydn Hughes, delivered a statement on Radio Anguilla. “Any measure to combat the presence of guns on our streets must be a collective effort,” he stated. “I am calling on you to place the safety of your loved ones, and yourself, at the forefront of your individual response to these senseless acts.
“I am calling on those involved with, and condoning the presence of, firearms, to remove them from our streets. Let us seek out meaningful ways to address our differences and be our brother’s keeper in every regard.”
The shooting incident was also addressed by the Opposition Members while presenting their programme, Just the Facts, on Radio Anguilla on Monday, November 22. Co-host, Mr. Evans Rogers, stated in part: “It is not only mind-boggling, but it is heart-breaking when our young men can get involved in these sorts of things for whatever reason. There must be some ways or means or methodology whereby we can sit and discuss conflicts – and everything else – as opposed to just taking up a gun randomly or targeted at persons.”
Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, said: “With so many innocent and young persons in a crowd, where they say bullets don’t have eyes, I too am appealing to our young people, who might have firearms, that they should refrain themselves for doing these sort of things because it doesn’t help Anguilla. When you scratch the surface, all of us are connected in one way or the other.”
