Three more lives lost

Persistent gunplay and feuding factions are causing concern for residents in separate St Michael communities where two men were slain in less than 24 hours.

A shooting at Golden Rock, the Pine late Tuesday night followed by a troubling discovery in the area of Welches on Wednesday morning broke a near month-long lull in the spate of murders.

The first incident, which occurred around 11:20 p.m claimed the life of 34-year-old Omar ‘Puggy’ Phillips. Residents told Barbados TODAY he was liming with four men at a shop when a white vehicle with dark tint pulled up. A man then stepped out and opened fire with a high powered weapon, killing Phillips on the spot.

It was the second time in less than six months that an attempt was made on his life. In late October, while liming in the Pine, Phillips was shot in his hand while liming at the same spot.

Omar Phillips was liming at this shop when he was shot and killed.

In mid-October, 44-year-old Keron Anthony Hodge was shot and killed in a driveby at Golden Rock. According to somber residents in the grieving community, it was only a matter of time until another life was lost amid “off and on” gunplay in that section of the Pine.

“Young people don’t like to take talk. The slightest thing you tell them, they get vex. They’re getting high and holding things in their mind. It’s no use telling them that they need to put down the guns because they know they’re going to go into prison and just come back out,” a concerned resident explained.

The source added that the numerous ongoing disagreements generally surround “drugs and talk”.

In the meantime, the victim leaves behind his girlfriend, a young daughter, and a large extended family.

At a family home in the community, relatives declined to comment on the slaying. Phillips’ mother was not at home.

As the members of the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) collected evidence and were preparing to investigate the country’s sixth murder, they received word of the country’s seventh.

Around 11:20 Wednesday morning, police responded to reports of gunshots in the areas of Martinique Road, The Ivy and the general vicinity of Welches, Flint Hall and Licorish Village. While combing a bushy area known as the old train line, which connects Licorish Village and Flint Hall, lawmen found the body of 39-year-old well-digger, Kendrick King.

Police cordoned the area metres away from the corpse in all directions as onlookers watched from a distance. Acting Police Sargeant Michael Blackman indicated that gunshots were heard in the area of Licorish Village some distance away and it was still unclear whether there was a connection between those explosions and the dead man.

Kendrick King

As family members gathered, they were adamant that their slain relative, the father of two very young childr, was an innocent man. But a woman, who identified herself as his cousin said the area was extremely dangerous due to an ongoing “war” between people from Licorish Village and Martinique Road.

“He wasn’t in any feud… he actually suffered from bad blurry vision last week because of the work he was doing with the wells…Maybe they were trying to rob him and he didn’t have anything on him,” she explained.

The relative added: “Barbadians want work and it seems some young people who are broke and hungry will kill you when they get vex. Anything can go down out here and you can’t call the police, because people fear for their lives.”

Late this evening police and fire officials recovered a body in a well at Chelston Park, St Michael.