Relatives say gunshot victim’s life was cut short by “lawless” men

Kirk Bowen was caught by a bullet while in the wrong place at the wrong time, according to some of his closest relatives.

His death brings to 49, the number of murders in 2019, on the penultimate day of the country’s bloodiest year on record.

As Barbados TODAY moved through the community of Redman’s Village, St Thomas where the 22-year-old was shot, residents pondered on the incident that had unfolded there and thrown a pall over the neighbourhood’s Christmas festivities.    

At a white wooden house, Bowen’s four brothers had just received the news of his passing and were struggling to make sense of the tragedy. For the most part, they had “nothing much” to say, but Kirk’s older brother, Michael Bowen admitted he was shocked at the way in which the life of his “hard-working” brother was taken.

“All I heard them talk about was a drive-by shooting somewhere in Redman’s Village but I don’t know,” said Michael, who was out with his girlfriend when it happened.

“It was only when I came home after nine that I heard. He wasn’t involved in any fight or confrontation, nothing like this. I believe it would have to be mistaken identity and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but we could only assume,” he said.

Police reports indicate that around 7 p.m., Kirk was passing near a popular liming spot when loud explosions rang out and he was hit. Despite being rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) by ambulance, he was dead before noon the next day.

“He never used to put himself in any trouble. He was a man that would not beg anyone for anything. He would work hard and to see that this is how he lost his life. The person had no remorse,” he said, shedding a tear.

“The men didn’t care. It just seems like they were feeling lawless that night. You never know. I don’t know what they were thinking.”

According to Michael, Kirk, a former student of St George Secondary School, was the fourth of five brothers and worked at a hotel in the Maxwell, Christ Church but aspired to eventually own a business.

“He was hard-working and people would admire that. He was hardly at home. I would hardly hear from him because he worked so hard,” his brother added.

“When people were on the block and thing, he would be working.”

In fact, he said the Redman’s Village community was generally made up of hard-working people.   

“This is the first set of gun play in a long while…No violence don’t happen up here… nothing so because people are working. You don’t really see people partying up here and moving around with gold chains. We don’t study that life. We look to achieve things out here,” said Michael.

A group of men liming near where the incident happened declined to comment

At the home of Kirk’s mother Stefanie Bowen at Richmond Road, St Michael, her husband, Henderson Bowen told Barbados TODAY she was at work. He did not know if she had been informed of her son’s passing.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb