Paul’s Avenue shooter came in disguise – eyewitnesses

A shooting which occurred on a busy Friday afternoon in Kingstown ended the life of Jawanza “Sanga” Fraser, who had survived a number of attempts on his life.

Around 1:45 pm on Friday September 13, 2024, approximately six shots rang out in Paul’s Lot gap, in the area close to Gaymes’ Bookstore. Some passers-by and persons who were doing business in the area responded by running toward the main road while others gathered at the entrance to the avenue to get a view of the chaos which was quickly unfolding.

Eyewitnesses reported that a lone gunman made his way in the gap on foot, wearing what was described as a wig which was covered by a cap. He approached a shop where Fraser was seated, retrieved a gun from a cross bag he was wearing and fired into the shop.

Fraser was hit by multiple gunshots while another man was grazed on his hand by a bullet.

The gunman then made good his escape from the avenue in the direction of JuJube Bookstore.

Fraser was then loaded into a white vehicle, which had pulled into the gap moments after the shooting, and driven to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries.

Police constables who were nearby responded to the scene minutes after the shooting. They cleared the shop and established a cordon. Members of the Criminal Investigation Department and the Rapid Response Unit arrived around fifteen minutes after. By this time, residents and others who were present during the shooting openly vented their frustration about the shooting and the lack of police presence in the area in recent times.

In mid-January last year, the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) established a police presence in a number of communities including Rose Place and Paul’s Avenue. Officers were seen round-the-clock in the area, however, patrols came to a stop earlier this year.

In July 2024, six people were injured when gunmen drove into the area and opened fire on a gathering. The shooting came one year after four men and a teenager were shot and killed in the Harbour Club area of Upper Bay Street, Kingstown. The mass shooting, which occurred on July 19, 2023 claimed the life of Fraser’s brother, Lamont Hector.

“Them want we dead!” one resident in Paul’s Avenue shouted to police investigators at the scene. “Five man get kill and they lock up a jeep. A jeep!” the resident added, in reference to the July 19 mass shooting. Police are yet to bring charges against any suspects in relation to this shooting.

Just hours after today’s shooting, police released a photo of a male suspect which was captured on CCTV footage in front of the Diamond Girl Beauty Supply store.

Fraser was one of two injured in a shooting incident in Paul’s Avenue in December 2022. He also survived being shot six times in the same community back in 2017.