Seven shot at Grand Cayman football match in suspected gang attack

At least seven people were seriously injured in a shooting during a football match in West Bay, Grand Cayman. Police call it a targeted attack that may be gang-related.

Shooting at football match in West Bay leaves seven injured

At least seven people were seriously injured on Sunday night when a gunman opened fire during a football match in West Bay, on the north-west tip of Grand Cayman island, theguardian.com reports.

Police commissioner Kurt Walton said at a press conference on Monday that four of the seven victims had already been discharged from hospital by late afternoon. Investigators believe a lone gunman targeted a small group gathered in the north-east corner of the stadium, with the apparent intent to kill at least two of them.

"This was a targeted attack," Walton said.

The shots were fired at the start of the second half, with between 200 and 300 spectators present at Ed Bush Field. The first shots were discharged just outside the changing rooms.

Walton noted that four gangs have historically operated in the Cayman Islands — two in the capital George Town and two in West Bay, where Sunday's incident took place. Three of those gangs have since merged, though Walton declined to confirm whether a specific gang was implicated. "I can't get into specifics," he said.

No arrests have been made, and police have not established a motive. Authorities are appealing for witnesses and anonymous tips, and have offered a reward of $300,000 for information leading to an arrest. Walton acknowledged the difficulty of gathering evidence in a small community: "It's really challenging in such a small environment to get people to cooperate."

The commissioner described the incident as unprecedented. "This could have gone horribly, horribly bad. We have never seen anything like this before."

The shooting follows a warning Walton issued approximately a month ago about a rise in gang-related crime, particularly in West Bay. One man was fatally shot in that area in January, and a second was injured days later.

Source: Google News KY — Crime