A Guyanese woman died yesterday in Antigua after a lone gunman walked into a store in which she worked and shot her in the face at point-blank range.
Reports say that Susan Powell, an employee of the first Gadjet Store at Heritage Quay was shot by the gunman who presumably entered the premises with intentions of robbing it.
Antigua’s National Security Minister, L. Errol Cort, yesterday expressed his “outrage” at the killing of the young mother and promised that extensive actions would be taken to apprehend those responsible.
He said that if this matter is to be resolved however, the assistance of the general public is crucial, in terms of them sharing important information with officers.
As such the Government of Antigua and Barbuda is now offering a reward of EC$50,000 to anyone who provides credible information to the police which leads to the arrest and successful conviction of the person or persons responsible for Powell’s “heinous” murder.
Furthermore, he said that the government would be offering an EC$50,000 reward to anyone providing credible information to the police that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone who would have committed a crime involving the use of a firearm.
The private sector has also been cited as an important ally in the initiative and has been encouraged to partner with the government to provide whatever assistance it can.
The Minister noted the escalation of gun related crimes plaguing the small twin-island. It was this escalation, he said, which led to the commissioning of a special “Task Force on Serious Crime” established January 5th 2013, the mandate of which is the reduction of gun-related crimes in the country, as well as the ensuing fear of such crime.
As part of efforts to bolster Antigua’s security forces, Cort has instructed the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force and the Royal Police Force to recall all members currently on vacation. The Minister also called upon the Reserves of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force to ready themselves for service.
This combination of actions, he said, would beef up the complement of available officers and therefore ensure the security of citizens. Other initiatives, said the Minister, will include the immediate increase in day and night patrols, stop and search exercises as well as other surveillance techniques.
Finally, Cort noted that as the death penalty is still a viable consequence according to Antigua’s laws, it will be implemented if sufficient cause is given. He also stated intentions to increase penalties for gun related and other serious crimes, as well as create additional offences and accompanying penalties.
