Community rocked by gun slaying of well-known resident

A Black Rock community was left reeling after a 35-year-old man was fatally shot while liming with friends on Monday night. 

Kyle Irvin Haynes, known as Wildout, of Dear’s Land, was slain when two masked gunmen opened fire on a group of men gathered at a house in Murray Land, Black Rock. Police from the Black Rock station responded to the incident around 9:15 p.m.

Haynes’ death marks the 32nd homicide in Barbados this year. 

Police confirmed that Haynes was found motionless on the ground, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene by a medical doctor.

Residents in the close-knit neighbourhood expressed disbelief at the tragedy. One woman, who was at home at the time, shared her fear and sadness, recalling how violence of this nature was previously unheard of in the area.

“I hear gunshots, and I asked my grandson, ‘what is it I’m hearing’, and he said: ‘gunshots’. And I said, ‘I hope nobody ain’t dead’,” she recounted. “I said, ‘don’t go outside, come inside’. He said: ‘Gran, you don’t got to tell me that’.”

The woman described her reaction upon realising that someone had been killed. “I went and I looked outside . . . he went up, [the road] and then he come back down, and he said: ‘They killed Wildout.’ I said: ‘Who? You mean Kyle?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ Then I went up the road, I start trembling, and I start to cry . . . I went and look at him, and he just laying down.”

Another neighbour, who has lived in the area for nearly 50 years, recounted hearing a rapid series of gunshots. “I can tell you about six or maybe more, and it was coming fast and furious. I was in the kitchen, my father was watching TV.”

The resident noted that Haynes, who lived nearby, had been playing cards with friends at the time of the attack. “All I hear is he get killed.”

Shocked by the incident, she added: “Never had nothing like that, out here used to be quiet and good.”

Black Rock detectives are investigating. 

louriannegraham@barbadostoday.bb