Four killed in shooting in Green Hill, St. Vincent amid rising gang violence

Four people were shot dead near Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with four others injured. A manhunt is underway as police investigate a possible linked killing the following day.

Four dead after shooting outside Kingstown as manhunt continues

Four people were killed and four others wounded in a shooting in Green Hill, a district on the outskirts of Kingstown, the capital of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, abcnews.com reports. A manhunt was launched after officers responded to reports of gunfire late Friday night.

Acting Police Commissioner Trevor Bailey told a news conference Saturday that two bodies were found lying on a public road, a third inside a parked vehicle on the same road, and a fourth on an adjacent piece of land. "Two bodies were met lying on the public road, the body of a female was discovered in a vehicle that was parked on the public road, and on an adjacent piece of land another body was discovered," Bailey said. All four showed what appeared to be gunshot wounds.

Two of the four injured remain hospitalised. Police had made no immediate arrests as of Saturday and said the motive had not yet been established. Investigators are also examining whether a separate killing recorded on Saturday is connected to the Friday night incident.

Minister of National Security St. Clair Leacock condemned the shootings as "unfortunate" and "unnecessary" in remarks to local outlet NBC Radio. While maintaining that St. Vincent and the Grenadines remains a peaceful country overall, Leacock acknowledged that gang violence has affected many communities. "These homicides create a serious nightmare for us," he said.

Police figures show 37 murders have been recorded so far this year in the island nation, which has a population of approximately 110,000. The former British colony consists of 32 islands and cays in the eastern Caribbean and depends heavily on tourism as its primary source of income. The archipelago is known for its volcanic landscapes, coral reefs and white sand beaches, and draws visitors to several private islands that cater to wealthy travellers.

Source: Google News VC — Crime