Shooting in The Pine, St Michael: police and residents give conflicting accounts
Police and residents offer opposing versions of a Thursday shooting in The Pine, St Michael. Officers say a suspect drew a firearm; witnesses say bystanders were recklessly endangered.
Opposing versions of The Pine shooting divide community and police
A shooting in The Pine, St Michael on Thursday has left residents and the Barbados Police Service at odds over what actually happened. Barbadostoday.bb reported that tensions ran high in the area after witnesses accused officers of firing recklessly during a stop-and-search operation near Parkinson Field — an account the police have firmly rejected.
When a Barbados Today team arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, officers had cordoned off a stretch near a cluster of kiosks along Field Road, Pinelands. Residents gathered at the perimeter expressed anger, insisting that bystanders had been put in danger when officers opened fire in a crowded public space.
What residents say happened
One resident described officers pulling up and stopping five men who were standing in the area. According to that account, a search began before one man broke away on foot.
"This morning the police was coming up the stretch, they stopped, saw five men standing up there, they get out [and] start to search the men," the resident said. "One man ran off. When the man run off, the police beat shots at the man…head and chest level."
The same resident alleged that bullets struck nearby property, including a body shop and a radio belonging to someone in the vicinity. The man who fled, according to this account, returned to the scene shortly afterward and explained he had run because he was carrying something to smoke — not because he was a wanted suspect.
"So he was not no hot wanted man," the resident said, questioning the justification for discharging firearms.
Other bystanders described scenes of panic, with people diving for cover as shots rang out. One witness alleged the angle of fire placed numerous people in direct danger.
"The angle the man run from the police, and the police discharged the shots, there were plenty people in the area that had to duck and scramble for life," the resident said. "People's life was at risk."
The same individual claimed one bullet penetrated a nearby establishment. "If somebody was in it getting their makeup or something done, they probably would be injured for sure," the resident added.
Police account: suspect drew a firearm at officers
The Barbados Police Service (TBPS) issued a statement late Thursday evening that directly contradicts the residents' version of events. According to police, the incident took place at around 10:40 p.m. during a Broken Trident Operation patrol — a joint exercise involving both police officers and soldiers.
Officers approached a group of men near a business establishment along Field Road when one man got up and ran across the road. As he fled, TBPS said, he drew a firearm and pointed it toward the officers on patrol.
"One of the men got up and ran to the other side of the road, whilst drawing a firearm, which he pointed in the direction of the officers on patrol," the police statement read.
TBPS said an officer, "fearing for his safety", discharged his weapon. The suspect escaped and has not been apprehended. Investigations are ongoing.
Investigation continues; public asked to come forward
Police are urging anyone who witnessed the shooting or holds relevant information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, the Police Emergency line at 211, or the District 'A' Police Station at 430-7242.
The two accounts — one depicting a panicked community endangered by indiscriminate gunfire, the other a lawful defensive response to a man pointing a weapon at officers — remain unreconciled as the investigation proceeds.
Source: Google News BB — Crime