Police Commissioner Enville Williams has promised that guns will not govern St. Vincent and the Grenadines as the search continues for the gunmen who shot and killed three people over the last weekend.
“The guns will not govern this nation. The law will prevail, and the absolute sovereignty of the state will be maintained,” Williams vowed, warning that anyone assisting the perpetrators, by harbouring them, holding their weapons, driving their vehicles, or keeping their secrets, would be treated as active participants in the killings.
“The law views you as an active participant in bloodshed. The statutory consequences coming for you will be indistinguishable from those coming from the shooter,” he said, promising that no “loophole, no technicality, and no procedural escape hatch”, as investigators build “an airtight, unassailable case designed for maximum disruption and long-term incarceration…
“We are not playing for headlines. We are playing for conviction in the court of law,” he added.
Police said that the killings occurred late Friday night in the Chinatown area in the capital and have identified those killed as Claude John, 50, a cart operator, 34-year-old Karon Bowens aka Twin, and 23 year-old Giovannie Grant, both labourers.
The killings took place in an area across the street from the Central Police Station, where shops and other businesses.
Media reports said that two masked gunmen approached from the seaside behind the public washroom and opened fire, killing the three men at the scene.
In his statement Williams acknowledged widespread anger and fear and conceded that previous assurances from the police may have left some sceptical.
“I know that Vincentians are angry. I know that many are afraid, and I know that the public has heard assurances from the police force before, “ he said, adding “I will not offer another assurance.
“I will tell you what we know, what we are doing, and what we now require from you, the public,” Williams said, describing the shooting incident as a “brazen attack” carried out “in the heart of the capital, and within proximity to the police barracks.”
He said the location, execution, and apparent confidence of the attackers demanded the “full attention of the police force”, adding “so they have it”.
Williams said there would be a fundamental shift in how the police will confront organised and gun-related crime.
“You believe you understand how [the] police force operates. You think you can predict our response, map our patrol, and anticipate our next move based on how things used to be. You are fundamentally wrong. The old playbook is closed,” he said, adding that “a highly coordinated, multifaceted assault is on the way.
“You will not see us coming. You will not be able to guess our strategy, and you will have nowhere to pivot. We do not need to break the law to break you,” Williams said, adding that the response will be grounded strictly in law and that every move will be anchored in constitutional and statutory authority.
“This offensive will be executed with absolute crushing legality. Every asset, every intelligence capability, and every statutory power available under the Constitution of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is being weaponised against you.
“We do not need to break the law to break you. The law itself is our greatest weapon, and we are unleashing its full, unrelenting weight against you,” Williams said, adding that tactical teams, investigators and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) are operating in “absolute alignment” as part of what he called a change in the “psyche” of policing.
Williams urged law-abiding members of the public to judge the police by their actions in the coming days and to end the culture of silence that allows gunmen to operate.
“The rule of law cannot protect a society that protects its killers. Criminals cannot survive without a community to hide in. They rely entirely on your silence to escape the justice system. That ends today.
“Give us the facts, and we will deliver the lawful reckoning,” he said, adding that while justice might appear slow, “rest assured, it is sure as the sun shines”.