By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Market Street was the scene of a shooting involving at least two young men yesterday morning, bringing fear to many eyewitnesses who expressed shock at the brazen daytime incident.
It came less than 24 hours after the Prime Minister listed a number of actions his government will be taking to address rising gun crime in Antigua and Barbuda.
Eyewitnesses told Observer that a shirtless young male was chasing another while shooting at him.
According to one witness who was awaiting a bus, there were at least two gunshots fired in the area, causing her to run for safety, while another witness—an elderly lady who was sitting at the Central Marketing Corporation (CMC) —said that she was shocked that the young men were so willing to brandish guns near where pedestrians and other persons frequent.
“What if they had come this way and shot me?” she expressed to our newsroom.
Another resident—a vendor serving vegetables and other provisions near the Keithley Sheppard Recreational Park (formerly King George V playfield) – told us that when she saw the shooting, she was so shocked and fearful for her own safety that she almost decided to stop vending for the day.
“I was actually ready to go home after I heard the shot; I called my son and said ‘listen, I’m coming home’, because once you hear gunshot, that’s it for me.
“It’s just crazy what’s happening right now, they’re not afraid, they don’t care,” she said.
Police officials were on the scene interviewing eyewitnesses when Observer arrived.
A statement from police later confirmed investigations are underway and that no one had been injured.
“A person of interest was subsequently taken into custody by the police, and is being questioned in connection with the incident,” it added.
Anyone with information should contact the Criminal Investigations Department at 462-3913 or Crimestoppers at 800-8477.
The shooting comes amidst increased pressure on the government and the police force to implement effective strategies to protect citizens from a growing number of crimes involving guns and other weapons.
