‘Swing, gallows’: MP calls for hangings’ return after St Lucy slaying

Hours after a mass shooting in the remote north of the island claimed its 13th murder for the year, a government backbench MP on Monday issued a stark appeal to let the gallows swing again after the latest slaying occurred in his constituency.

St Lucy MP Peter Phillips told Barbados TODAY on Monday that he was concerned about the rise in gun crime and suggested that the justice system revisit the death penalty to crack down on lawless slayings.

He made the call during a visit to the home of Sherwood Archer, the father of the island’s latest murder victim.

Phillips described the killing as deeply personal, noting he had a close relationship with the Archer family of Bromefield, St Lucy.

Police said bullets were sprayed from a dark‑coloured vehicle as it drove past a bar in Fryers Well, Checker Hall, around 10.50 pm on Sunday, hitting several people at a karaoke lime, including Romario Archer, 31. He was rushed to Sandy Crest Medical Centre, where he later died, while nine others were taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment of their wounds.

“I support capital punishment, and I say this without any kind of hesitation. I believe we have to begin to hang a couple of people for doing these foolish things,” Phillips said. “I believe that since there is no capital punishment, people believe… they can do whatever they wish because they can go up Dodds and sit down and relax and eat four square meals a day.”

Barbados still retains the death penalty in law, with hanging as the punishment for murder, but no executions have taken place since 1984. In 2018, the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled that the death penalty could no longer be automatic, meaning judges must consider each case individually before sentencing. While the penalty remains legal, it is rarely used, and debate continues over whether it should be enforced or formally abolished.

The MP issued a direct appeal to residents, particularly young people, to avoid reprisals for Archer’s slaying.

“Let there be no retaliation where this is concerned. Put down the guns. Put away the guns. The Lord will take care of this. We must not take matters into our own hands. The law will do what the law has to do. This is not the way. I want people to put down the guns and stop the stupid, these kinds of mafia‑style executions of people.”

Phillips stressed the need for calm across the constituency.

“There must be peace in this community, there must be peace in St Lucy, there must be peace all over Barbados,” he said. “Whatever differences there may be, let us settle the differences… in a peaceful manner.”

Phillips has known the Archers for a long time and had worked with the young man on many occasions, he said, describing him as peaceful and industrious.

“From my experience and my interactions with him, he was a good, decent guy who always stayed out of trouble,” Phillips said. “Very cheerful youngster, one who was very independent… always interested in work, finding something to do.”

The MP acknowledged the emotional toll on both the family and the wider community.

“This has really touched me deeply. It has touched the Checker Hall community deeply,” he said. “This is not the kind of thing that we are accustomed to… that we know of in St Lucy.”

The family had already endured a previous loss, he said. In 2022, Archer’s cousin was gunned down on March 13 in similar circumstances – at an event when gunmen opened fire.

While expressing anger over the killing, he maintained that more violence could not become the response.

Public opinion across Barbados has traditionally supported keeping the death penalty, especially amid spikes in violent crime. Polling by the Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES) has often found majority backing for retaining capital punishment in principle, even among those who doubt it will ever be used again.

Evidence that executions deter crime remains inconclusive. Studies by the United Nations and international human rights organisations show no definitive link between the death penalty and lower homicide rates. Criminologists have noted that certainty of detection and swift justice act as stronger deterrents than the threat of execution itself.

(SZB)