Prime Minister Gaston Browne has expressed shock and disbelief over the tragic death of two young people on this date, in the Villa Area community. The circumstances leading to their deaths is not yet determined by the Police. Gunshots were fired, fatally injuring the two teenagers who were on the street at the time.

The Prime Minister visited the scene where family members of the deceased gathered, offering comfort and assurances to those who mourned the loss of their loved-ones. The crime scene was isolated by the Police as more neighbours and curious on-lookers gathered at the Villa Area Street.

Violence as a means of addressing disputes is unacceptable, the Prime Minister repeated, taking into account that firearms and a knife have been used to inflict fatal injuries on the victims of murder recorded this year. Social peace is a value which the entire nation holds in very high regard, and the Prime Minister continues to encourage all to find solutions to disagreements that exclude violent means.

As soon as law enforcement has established the circumstances leading to the deaths of the two youth, it will be shared with the public. The Prime Minister expresses his sympathies to the families of both victims, to the friends, and to the residents of the St. John’s City West Constituency who all share the pain of this tragedy.