Police are on the scene of a stabbing incident at the van stand near Cheapside, in Bridgetown.
Reports indicate that one man was stabbed during the incident.
More details as they become available.
Government condemns deadly violence, vows firm action
The Government of Barbados has strongly condemned the latest outbreak of deadly violence in the country, pledging full support for law enforcement as investigations continue.
Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice, Michael Lashley, expressed condolences to the families of those killed and injured.
He said the escalation of gang-related retaliation and reprisal will not be tolerated, adding that national security forces will be empowered to use all lawful means necessary to restore order and protect communities.
Below is the full statement:
On behalf of the Government, I wish to express our sincere condolences to the families of those persons who passed away and deep regret to those who were injured in this recent act of senseless violence in our country.
The Barbados Police Service is actively pursuing its investigations into this matter and will continue that work with focus and urgency in order to swiftly bring those responsible to justice.
At the same time, it is clear that this apparent state of war between certain gangs of young men has spiralled completely out of control, with retaliation and reprisal now seemingly the order of the day. We will not tolerate this behaviour.
Let the word go out that, from this moment, the police and other national security forces will be empowered to use every lawful means at their disposal to bring this unacceptable situation under control and bring it to an end.
I urge every law-abiding Barbadian who loves this country to stand with the Police Service in this effort.
Roland Butcher, the cricket history-maker, honoured in England
Roland Butcher, the first black man to play cricket for England, was honoured over the weekend at a ceremony celebrating his immense contribution to the sport.
The event was Sporting Equals which brought together some of the most influential voices in sport for an unforgettable evening at its flagship Sporting Equals Awards ceremony, held on Saturday, April 18 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
Among the most prestigious honours were the Special Lifetime Achievement Awards, presented to Butcher and Maggie Alphonsi.
Both were recognised for their exceptional contributions to sport and their enduring impact in advancing equality and opportunity.
Butcher, who was born in Barbados, moved to England as a child and went on to have an outstanding cricket career for Middlesex in English County cricket where he played at Lord’s.
His first Test match was against West Indies in his hometown Barbados at Kensington Oval in 1981.
“I’m delighted and truly honoured to be nominated for a Special Lifetime Achievement Award and alongside Maggie Alphonsi. It is also great to be joining Lynford Christie, Denise Lewis, Sol Campbell and Jason Robinson, such a prestigious group who have received this special award,” he said in a statement
Now in their ninth edition, the Sporting Equals Awards recognise individuals, organisations and initiatives that are driving meaningful change and increasing opportunities for ethnically diverse communities across sport and physical activity. (PS)
Man kills seven of his children, and an eighth child, in Louisiana mass shooting
A father has killed seven of his children and an unrelated child in the US city of Shreveport, Louisiana, in a mass shooting that police have called a “domestic disturbance”.
Officers said the shooting began about 05:00 (10:00 GMT) on Sunday. After attacking the children at a property, the suspect drove away in a stolen car, police said. Officers then chased and killed him.
Two adult women, including the children’s mother, are in critical condition after they, too, were hurt by gunfire.And a ninth child was taken to hospital after jumping from the roof of the home while escaping.
The suspect was identified as Shamar Elkins, Shreveport mayor’s communications director told the BBC.
“We do believe him to be the only individual that fired gunshots at these locations,” said Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Chris Bordelon in a news conference earlier on Sunday.
Officials have not yet suggested a motive on the gunman’s part.
Three boys and five girls, aged between three to 11, were shot and killed, the coroner’s office said, according to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.
Local police had earlier said on Sunday the children ranged in age from one to 14.
Neighbours described their shock to US media. Mack London, 71, told NBC News he had lived in the area for decades and that “nothing like this has ever happened on this street”.
The attack occurred across multiple locations. The father is alleged to have first shot a woman, before moving to a second location where he fired further shots at the children.
One of the victims was able to run away to a nearby home and called the authorities, police said.
Members of the family told US media that Elkins was facing a split from his wife.
Elkins’s brother-in-law Troy Brown, told the Washington Post that he lived with the attacker, and that Elkins had been upset after his wife requested a divorce. “After the first argument about the divorce, he acted like he was losing his mind,” he told the newspaper.
Crystal Brown, a cousin of one of the wounded women, told the AP news agency that the couple were separating and had been due to appear in court on Monday.
“He murdered his children… he shot his wife,” she said.
In Sunday’s press conference, Bordelon said officers attended a home shortly before 06:00 local time and found the bodies of the children.
He said officers determined the call had been “domestic in nature”.
The suspect is alleged to have stolen the vehicle in which he attempted to flee from the attack in the Cedar Grove district of the city.
Officers followed him to another neighbourhood, Bossier Parish, where they fired at him.
The incident is the deadliest mass shooting in the US since January 2024, when eight victims were killed in Joliet, Illinois, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit that tracks US gun violence.
GVA defines a mass shooting as an incident where four or more victims were shot, not including the suspect.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said it was “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport”.
Arceneaux went on to say: “We have hurting families, we have hurting police officers, coroners’ personnel.
“This affects the entire community, so we all mourn with these families.”
Grayson Boucher, a local councillor, said more than 30% of crimes and 30% of murders in the city were “domestic in relation”, adding: “Now that number has gone up.”
“We’ve more than doubled our homicide in the city of Shreveport because of one act of domestic violence,” he said.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said he and his wife were “heartbroken over this horrific situation, and we’re praying for everyone affected”.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana’s Fourth District, has also commented on the “heartbreaking tragedy”.
“We’re holding the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” he said. (BBC News)
Traffic disruption in Christ Church after burst main
Motorists are being advised of traffic delays at King Corner, Sayes Court, Christ Church, near the roundabout.
Reports indicate that a burst main has left large volumes of water on the road, with one vehicle reportedly dropping into a pothole.
Traffic is backed up in all directions as a result. More details as they come.
Hinkson meets Commonwealth Secretary-General in London
Barbados’ High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Edmund Hinkson, paid a courtesy call on Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey on April 13.
During the meeting at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Hinkson thanked Botchwey for the deployment of a Commonwealth observer team to Barbados’ recent general election.
Discussions also focused on areas of mutual interest, including support for the rule of law and human rights, as well as efforts to strengthen Barbados’ clean energy capacity and trade competitiveness. The Bridgetown Initiative 3.0 and the need for reform of the United Nations Security Council were also raised.
The two sides further engaged on the issue of reparatory justice for CARICOM countries, alongside broader international concerns.
Hinkson also addressed matters relating to persons with disabilities across Commonwealth nations, referencing ongoing efforts to advance their rights and the call for the establishment of a high-level advisory group to support member states. (PR)
Three dead, one injured in St James shooting
Update
Three men have been killed and another injured following a shooting incident at Thunder Bay Beach Bar, Lower Carlton, St James on Sunday night.
Police said the incident occurred around 8:42 p.m. when gunshots were reported in the area.
Investigators said a number of people were gathered on the beach near the bar when three men exited a silver-coloured vehicle and discharged several shots, striking four males.
One victim died at the scene after a medical doctor pronounced him dead, while the remaining three were transported by private vehicles to a medical facility for urgent treatment. Two of those men later succumbed to their injuries.
Investigations are continuing.
Police are appealing to anyone with information to contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-8477, Police Emergency at 211, or the Holetown Police Station at 419-1700.
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Earlier Story
Three people were killed and another injured in a shooting incident in Thunder Bay, St James on Sunday night.
According to reports, four individuals were shot. Three succumbed to their injuries, while the fourth is receiving medical treatment.
More details as they become available.
Natalie Abrahams steps into her next chapter
She is a trailblazer who has won her way into the hearts of those she has led during her 25-plus years in the corporate world.
Now, Natalie Abrahams is choosing to make a change in that corporate world; to make space to reflect and re-energise, as she prepares to write the next chapter of her life and career.
Former United States President John F. Kennedy once wrote, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
For Natalie, this is her season of change as she leaves the past behind and looks with excitement to the future. Her experiences in the corporate world as a strategic leader, chief executive officer, a breaker of barriers, one who led hundreds with passion, tenacity, confidence, skill and expertise, has placed her in a rather enviable position, even as she takes time to plan what’s next.
One thing is certain – the next chapter will be as exciting as those already written, as Natalie continues to be that force to be reckoned with in the corporate field.
Sitting down with Easy magazine this past week to reminisce and reflect, an upbeat Natalie said: “Recognising that you have accomplished what you set out to in one space is a signal that change is necessary and a starting point to begin planning for your next space.” (Cheryl Harewood)
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Cancer Support Services calls for committed volunteers
Cancer Support Services (CSS) is seeking some more good men and women who will stay the course even after their loved ones have recovered or passed on from cancer.
President Carlyle Best, speaking at their 30th anniversary service at St James Parish Church yesterday, said they wanted people who will be committed to the cause and pour into others what they did for those who were close to them.
“I would like persons who join the organisation to don’t just come to receive assistance on behalf of others, but come and see how you can contribute, which is very important to this charity. That will continue the building of this charity and the more persons we can assist,” he said.
Best acknowledged that dealing with cancer was never easy for many individuals, but noted that more committed members would expand the support and good work the current membership of over 100 continuously carried out. (AJ)
Fogging Schedule: April 20 to April 24
The Vector Control Unit will fog several St. Michael districts when it conducts its fogging programme next week. The Unit will complete this week’s schedule after temporarily suspending the exercise due to mechanical problems.
The Unit will be in the following areas on Monday, April 20: Corner of Brittons Cross Road and Upper Collymore Rock, Brittons Cross Road inclusive of McClean Road and Gaps, Weirs Gap, Scotts Road, Valerie A, B and C, Valerie Link Road, Forde’s Road, Layne’s Road, Perkins Gap, Mill Yard Road, Brydens Avenue, Brittons New Road to the Corner of Villa Road, and Villa Road.
On Tuesday, April 21, the team will start at the corner of Belle Gully and Howells Cross Road, proceed along Belle Gully Road, Rouen Road and Avenues, Edna Webster Road, Neil’s Tenantry to Barker Road inclusive of Cosy Corner and Bird Hill, Tichbourne Road, Howells Cross Road, Pinder’s Gap, Back Ivy Road to My Lord’s Hill and back to the Corner of Howells Cross Road, Proute Road, Mayers Road, Deane’s Land, and Rogers Road.
It will be the turn of Culloden Road, St Paul’s Avenue inclusive of Bay Gardens, Old Quarry Road, Water Mill Place, Walcott Avenue, Grant’s Avenue, Evelyn Avenue, Alleyne’s Avenue, Fairview Place, Laurence Avenue, Mansion Place, Bayview Avenue, Jessamine Avenue, Gullyfield, Pipers Avenue, Field’s Place, Curwen Avenue, Browne’s Avenue, Clarke’s Avenue, Luke’s Avenue and environs on Wednesday, April 22.
The following day, Thursday, April 23, the Unit will start at the corner of the ABC Highway and Wildey Road onto Parkinson Field Nos.1 to 8, Rock Avenue, Field Road, East Terrace, Wildey Gardens Nos. 1 to 4, Princess Royal Avenue, Smith Avenue, Hill Top, York Road, Blackman Field, Meadows Road, Golden Rock, Bridgeway Path, Stanley Terrace, Valley View Terrace, Stratford Hill, Shepton Lane, 1st to 4th Avenues North Wildey, Philips Road, Martin’s Road, Regent Hill and surrounding areas.
The fogging exercise for the week will conclude on Friday, April 24, in St. Barnabas Heights with Avenues, St. Barnabas New Development, Middle Path, Cliff Path, Pine Primary School Road, Chapel Gap, Oliver Haynes Road, St. Barnabas Gardens, Two Mile Hill, Pine North-South Road, Pine Plantation Road with Avenues, Pine Gardens, Mount Joy Avenue, Pine Road, Croton Avenue, Pine Plantation Road, Margaret Terrace, Costan Drive, Philips Drive, Sunset Drive, Erdiston Road and neighbouring districts.
Fogging takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the fog.
The public is advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time. (BGIS)