BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – The Commissioner of Police (COP) Austin Williams has sought to lay to rest rumours which suggest that the Federation has recorded two murders since the commencement of the year.
In an recent article published, “It’s only the sixth day of the year but the crime rate on the tiny island of St. Kitts/Nevis is already at two.”
The article, headlined “St. Kitts Murder Rate Already At Two for 2010”, names the two victims as Keithron Stanley, 26, and Bevon Richards of Cotton Ground. It states that Stanley’s murder took place on January 1 with Richards’ taking place 15 hours after.
SKNVibes made a number of attempts to contact the Police Press and Public Relations Officer, Inspector Vaughan Henderson, to inquire about whether or not this information holds truth but they were all unsuccessful.
Commissioner Williams, speaking exclusively with SKNVibes, indicated that as far as he is aware, the Federation has had only one murder for the year which he explained is that of Stanley.
Information acquired by this media house indicates that about six hours into the start of this year, Stanley “was killed execution-style within a building in Craddock Road, Charlestown, Nevis.”
Less than 24 hours after that incident, Richards fell victim to a shooting attack.
“Following a report of the shooting incident, investigations revealed that while at a birthday party in Brown Pasture, some attendees claimed to have heard a sound similar to that of a firecracker. Immediately after the sound they saw Richards fell and, on checking, they realised he was shot in the neck. He was taken to the Alexandra Hospital in a privately-owned vehicle, where he is warded in stable condition,” Inspector Hilroy Brandy told this media house.
Brandy, who is the Interim Divisional Commander for District C, today (Jan. 6) informed SKNVibes that his investigations revealed that Richards is alive and has since been released from the Alexandra Hospital in Nevis.
COP Williams said he has no idea as to where reporters may have gotten this erroneous piece of information. He however suggested that if information is needed, persons “should check with the authorities at Police Headquarters, either with the Public Relations Officer or the Commissioner of Police”.
