Unusual mass shooting in Barbados leaves three dead

Three masked gunmen walked into a bar in the Barbados capital of Bridgetown early Saturday and opened fire on partying patrons, killing three people and injuring eight seriously in what authorities said was an unusual mass shooting in the tourism paradise.

Police Chief Richard Boyce said authorities are determined to arrest those responsible for the island’s worst single mass shooting event as he extended condolences to the family of those who were killed and hope for a recovery for the critically injured.

Detectives who have been reviewing CCTV footage of the shooting have put out wanted bulletins for at least one suspect who they claim had been hanging around the Majestic Bar in Nelson Street, acting suspiciously before mayhem broke out.

Wanted for questioning is Jakobi Talik Germain. Officers want him to turn himself in for questioning even as they scour various areas for his arrest.

Major Crime Police Unit Chief Mitchell Roach told reporters about the increase in gun crime on the island of about 300,000.

“Recently, we’ve been experiencing a spate of violent crimes, in the Southern Division, most recently in the Northern Division today, and also before in The City, in the area of Nelson Street. We’re urging Mr. Germain that he’s needed by the criminal investigation department to assist with some of these investigations into incidents of violent crime that we are experiencing. We’re urging him that if he intends to do so, he can be accompanied by an attorney, a law friend of his choice. I’m not even just mentioning a specific police station but any police station, but Mr. Germain, we are seeking you to assist with these investigations in regard to these violent crimes,” Inspector Roach said.

Such mass shootings are more common in neighboring Trinidad, Jamaica and The Bahamas to a lesser extent. Commissioner Boyce described the shootings as a “heinous attack” as the appeal for the public’s assistance in helping to solve the crime.

Police say that Germain is the mastermind and triggerman in a number of shootings in recent months and are determined to put him behind bars in a country, which can ill afford violent crime given its dependence on tourism and its promotion of the island as a safe destination.