Bloody week in SVG: Six dead in seven days

The homicide count in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has increased to 36 with six deaths recorded in just seven days.

It has been a busy week for law enforcement during the period Friday, September 27 to Thursday, October 3, 2024, with three shootings, one stabbing, one chopping death, and one drowning as a result of blunt trauma to the head.

The latest killing happened in the community of Lowman’s Leeward, in a remote area known as Mahoe, and resulted in the death of a vendor, Devon Holder, who is known as Lima.

He was found in his yard in a pool of blood on Thursday morning, October 3, 2024, by neighbours in the area with multiple chop wounds about his body, particularly to his head. Although the body was found around mid-morning, it was believed that he was killed in the wee hours of the morning.

SEARCHLIGHT understands that Holder’s death may be connected to another chopping incident which occurred on the night of October 2, 2024, involving another male resident of Lowman’s.

It is suspected that the same person who chopped the male resident may also have attacked Holder.

The deceased lived alone, and reportedly, had relocated from another area in Lowman’s.

The other killings recorded were Stanran Stapleton of Rose Hall who was shot and killed in Petit Bordel on September 27; Elijah Creese was fatally stabbed in Calliaqua; and Curthell Lavia who was shot and killed in Petit Bordel both on September 29 and on September 30, respectively; 13-year-old Matthew DaSouza was found in Sion Hill Bay with injuries to his head. An autopsy revealed that the teen drowned due to head trauma. On October 2, the body of a male was found in Gibson Corner with a gunshot wound to his back. He was later identified as Javier Browne of Chateaubelair.