BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MEMBERS of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force had discovered an illegal firearm with four matching rounds of ammunition during a security patrol in Sandy Point on Saturday (Mar. 4).
Speaking with SKNVibes, the Defence Force’s Public Affairs Officer, Captain Kayode Sutton, stated that while members of that institution were on a routine security patrol in Sandy Point, they received information that four shots were fired upon the Farms Project residence of one Jacqueline Buchanan.
He said the soldiers received information about the shooting incident at about 1:00 a.m. and they immediately responded by proceeding towards the Farms Project area.
“On arrival in Farms Project, the soldiers slowly and tactfully approached the area within which Buchanan’s house is situated and two young men were seen fleeing the area.
“Another young man was seen standing calmly on a piece of galvanise zinc sheet in a yard approximately 100 metres from Buchanan’s home. The soldiers approached him, asked for his name, which he provided, and requested that he step off the zinc sheet which was very close to a chained ferocious Pit Bull.
“The young complied and the soldiers executed a quick frisk of his person, but no incriminating item was found.”
Sutton stated that a search of the immediate area was conducted and upon lifting up the galvanise zinc sheet the soldiers noticed a shiny object directly beneath the spot where the young man had earlier stood.
“A close examination of the object revealed it to be a pistol and the soldiers immediately called the police and report the find,” Sutton said.
He indicated that the young man was handed over to police investigators when they arrived on the scene and the location of the firearm was revealed to them.
However, their attempts to get the firearm were restricted as the Pit Bull kept attacking them and a decision was taken to exterminate the vicious animal with a single shot.
“After exterminating the dog, access was gained to the firearm which was discovered to be a .45 Ruger pistol with one matching round of ammunition in its chamber and three more in a magazine,” Sutton said.
The Public Affairs Officer stated that as a consequence, search warrants were executed on the homes of the young man and the two others who had fled the scene.
He stated that a search of the home of one of the two young men, who is alleged to be an associate of the man found near the firearm, resulted in the find of “a substantial quantity of green vegetable matter suspected to be marijuana in zip lock bags and a number of dime bags as well as a large quantity of seeds”.
The three young men were subsequently taken into police custody, but at press time no word was heard about charges against them.
Sutton indicated that the patrol, which responded to the shooting incident, was part of the Defence Force’s strategy in upping the ante against crime in the Federation.
He explained that while a certain amount of soldiers are engaged in joint operations with the police, other groups operate independently as a back-up.
Captain Sutton reiterated the Defence Force’s commitment to fighting crime.
“The St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force through its actions consistently reiterates its commitment to take the fight to criminals in an effort to make our country safer. We remain resolute in our mandate to professionalism, accountability, commitment to duty and support of the local law enforcement. We urge members of the communities to cooperate with the security forces in their relentless effort to curb crime in the Federation.”
According to reports, at about 7:25 a.m. on Wednesday (Mar. 1), Jacqueline Buchanan was shot to the upper arms when an unknown assailant fired at a vehicle in which she was among four occupants.
The vehicle was reportedly driven by one of her sons, whose name was given as Floyd, and the incident occurred in the Mount Ible area in Sandy Point.
No one was apprehended for that shooting incident but police had informed that investigations are ongoing.
The pistol discovered at the Farms Project residence has taken to five the number of firearms removed from the Federation’s streets for the year.
Meanwhile, another firearm was also removed from the streets, taking the total to six.
According to a police release, as a result of the execution of a search warrant on a residence in Ottley’s Village on Saturday (Mar. 4), officers discovered and seized a Glock .40 pistol.
“The pistol was found in the residence of one of the individuals in custody in relation to a drug seizure on the evening of Friday (March 03),” the release said.
