Three killed in separate attacks leave districts reeling

Three men were killed in separate violent incidents on Sunday, and two others injured, leaving the communities of Cave Hill, Chapman Cross Street and Frere Pilgrim in shock and prompting renewed concern about rising acts of violence on the island.

Around 3:30 p.m., a man identified as 75-year-old Nigel Gibbs of Cave Hill,was walking along a track at Bridge Gap, Cave Hill when he was approached by another man who inflicted multiple stab wounds. He died at the scene, police said. 

Reports reaching Barbados Today indicate that the assailant, said to be mentally unstable, also injured two other people who are receiving urgent medical attention at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

An elderly woman in the area said she only learned of the incident after returning home from church and was overcome with shock.

“I went to church yesterday and when I found out, I couldn’t move,” she said. “When I found out yesterday, I was in a state.”

The woman said the victim grew up in the district.

“It happened down the hill just over here. I still feel a way. I know the chap, he was raised out here. He was just a bit head hot but he was alright.”

She said the man had children, though they did not live in the area.

“It just got you frighten. You can’t do nothing, cause I have boy children,” she added, explaining that her doctor had advised her to rest to avoid becoming ill from the shock. “The whole community feel a way.”

While she said she was unsure of what led to the altercation, she insisted the victim did not deserve such an end.

“All of us have some bad, no matter how we try, but he was not a bad chap.”

She recounted that her daughter, who lives nearby, was home at the time of the incident.

“She was in the house with the little boy when he come over to rush, so she called out to her husband,” the woman said.

A carpenter from the district said he only heard about the stabbing through news reports, as he had closed his shop early due to illness. He said he was told that a mentally ill man was involved, but could not confirm the details.

Another resident suggested that too many young men were becoming involved in drugs, leading them to act out violently.

The killing is the latest in a string of violent incidents affecting communities across the island over the weekend.

Earlier on Sunday, around 1:30 p.m., a man was shot at Chapman Cross Street in The City following an altercation at a bar. Police said he had left the establishment when gunshots were heard. He died at the scene.  He has been identified as 33-year-old Neil Renville of Adventist Gap, Jackson, St Michael.

Barely an hour into Sunday morning, the first slaying happened at a business during an event. Twenty-four-year-old Tyrese Skinner of Fustic Village, St. Lucy, who attended the event, was discovered in a car park near the venue. He was taken by private vehicle to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he later died from his injuries. 

Sunday’s killings bring the homicides for the year to eight.