Four killed in St. Vincent shooting; police hunt for gunman

A shooting near St. Vincent's capital killed four people Friday night and injured four others. The violence forced police into an aggressive search mode across this Caribbean island nation immediately.

Gunfire started around 10:30 p.m. in Green Hill, a community close to Kingstown. Acting Commissioner Trevor Bailey spoke at a Saturday news conference about the tragedy. He described how officers arrived and found two bodies lying on a public road. A woman lay dead inside a vehicle parked nearby. Police also located a fourth victim on land next door. All four had gunshot wounds.

Four more people received treatment for gunshots at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. Two patients were treated and sent home with care instructions. Two others remained in the hospital as the Saturday briefing ended. No arrests occurred yet, and officials refused to name a motive publicly.

Assistant Commissioner Brenton Smith led the push to identify suspects. He warned citizens not to spread rumors while investigators worked through evidence. Police are looking at a separate shooting that happened early Saturday in Ottley Hall. Authorities have not decided if these two events link together.

"That determination must be made by investigators based on the evidence and not on rumors or assumptions," Smith stated firmly during his remarks.

These deaths happen as officials struggle with rising gun violence and gang trouble here. Smith noted 37 murders already occurred in St. Vincent and the Grenadines this year alone. Bailey admitted police see retaliatory hits between rival groups sometimes. He did not connect Friday's killings to gangs directly. When reporters asked if criminal groups were involved, police said they could not say yet.

New patrols rolled through Kingstown tonight alongside random searches for illegal weapons. Intelligence operations are active to stop future bloodshed in these communities. Local outlet iWitness News called this attack part of a bad pattern. They reported multiple deaths in shootings over recent years, like a July incident that took three lives. The outlet listed the four Friday victims using their own sources since police had not released names officially yet.

Tourism drives St. Vincent and the Grenadines economy hard. This country features 32 islands and cays with pristine beaches and coral reefs. Authorities promote it as a top spot for sailing vacations and secluded getaways. Mustique stands out among inhabited islands with private villas and celebrity visitors. The whole archipelago attracts yachts constantly seeking quiet harbors.

Police asked anyone holding photos or video of suspects to call investigators now. They want surveillance footage too if people have it. Citizens should report details about vehicles that might be connected to the shootings.