Four killed in Green Hill mass shooting, gang markings found at scene

Four people were killed and four others hospitalised in a shooting in Green Hill, St. Vincent, late Friday. Police found group-associated markings near the scene but made no arrests.

Gang markings found near Green Hill shooting scene as homicide toll hits 37

Four people were shot dead in the Green Hill community of St. Vincent and the Grenadines shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Friday, iWitness News reports, with police discovering group-associated markings on walls and buildings near the scene during their response.

Acting Commissioner of Police Trevor "Buju" Bailey told a press conference in Kingstown on Saturday that officers arriving at the scene found two bodies on a public road, a woman's body inside a parked vehicle, and a fourth body on nearby land. All four appeared to have sustained gunshot injuries.

"St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been faced with this gun-related violence, and visibly on the scene last evening, we noted some graphics that were marked on the walls, the buildings in its immediate vicinity," Bailey said.

He declined to identify the specific markings but stated that investigators had established their group association. "Whilst I will not be specific with the markings, we were able to identify the association with these markings, and I call upon the young people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to be model citizens, to desist from the path of crime and violence," he said.

Victims named by sources, police silent

Police did not publicly disclose the names of the four deceased. However, multiple reliable sources told iWitness News that they are Green Hill residents Steve King, 22, Antonio Samuel, 30, and Shaqueil Peters, 26, as well as Paul's Avenue resident Shevon Chandler, 23.

Four additional individuals were taken to hospital with gunshot injuries. Bailey said two were treated and discharged, while two remained under police supervision at the time of the briefing. Those injured included a 20-year-old Green Hill woman with injuries to her right hand, a 17-year-old male student with injuries to his right arm, right leg and left hand, a 28-year-old man with injuries to his right arm, and a 16-year-old mechanic with injuries to his left thigh, right forearm and left hand.

No arrests, investigation ongoing

Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Brenton Smith, who oversees crime-fighting operations, confirmed at the same press conference that no arrests had been made by the time of the briefing. Investigators were working to establish the sequence of events and identify those responsible, he said.

Smith cautioned against speculation regarding whether the Green Hill killings were connected to a separate shooting at Ottley Hall at approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday. He said any such connection would need to be established through evidence. Asked whether criminal groupings might be linked to either incident, he said police would release information once the investigation was concluded.

Bailey acknowledged that police had previously observed instances of retaliatory violence between groups but stopped short of confirming this as a factor in the current case.

Patrols increased, firearms seized

Smith said police had already increased foot and mobile patrols in Kingstown and surrounding areas, strengthened intelligence-sharing between units and continued random searches. He said public feedback on the heightened police presence had been positive, with residents contacting senior officers to report feeling more secure.

Bailey cited recent weapons recoveries as evidence of active policing. Officers seized an AR-15 rifle and more than 40 rounds of ammunition in Kingstown during the week preceding the shooting. In a separate incident, a patrol search led to the discovery of a firearm on an individual, who was subsequently arrested and charged with firearm and ammunition offences.

Smith said searches did not always produce weapons but could deter individuals from carrying illegal firearms. He said operations to identify persons involved in violent crime and recover illegal weapons would continue and, where necessary, be intensified.

Borders cited as entry point for firearms

Bailey said firearms were entering the country by air and sea through what he described as porous borders. He said the Coast Guard continued to patrol local waters and that police were cooperating with regional agencies, including the Regional Security System, to combat trafficking. Asked about scanners and surveillance at ports, he declined to discuss operational details but noted that police had made arrests at both the airport and the port in cases involving illegal substances.

Bailey also said police continued to arrest individuals believed to be gang members, but added that dismantling gangs would require legislative support. He noted that St. Vincent and the Grenadines did not currently have anti-gang legislation, while indicating the matter was under discussion.

Community appeal

Bailey was direct in addressing the broader implications of the violence. "This is not the St. Vincent and the Grenadines that we know. That is not the St. Vincent and the Grenadines that we love. This is not the St. Vincent and the Grenadines that any of us wants to continue," he said.

He condemned the violence, noting it brought pain to families and disrupted community life, with residents fearful of going out at night. Smith urged parents, teachers and communities to pay closer attention to young people and their exposure to gang-related material online.

Smith confirmed that officers would follow up with residents affected by the shooting to assess the trauma they had experienced.

Police did not disclose the type of firearms used in the Green Hill attack, saying that information would be released when available. Smith said the country's homicide count for 2026 stood at 37 at the time of the briefing.

Source: iWitness News