By LR LiburdThe St. Kitts-Nevis Observer
Police on St. Kitts are investigating the shooting of one of their own who is reportedly warded in the Intensive Care Unit at the Joseph N France General Hospital in a critical but stable condition.
Reports reaching The Observer state that the officer, Constable Paquette, was shot with his own service pistol during an altercation with man early Thursday morning (Jun. 23) in Prickley Pear Alley, Basseterre.
This media house understands that at about 1:00 a.m., Paquette and another officer were responding to a report of larceny in the Greenlands area when they observed an individual whom they deemed a person of interest.
According to reports, the two officers stopped the man and on searching him they found a knife in his possession.
In an attempt to arrest him, a struggle ensued among the trio and the man allegedly grabbed Paquette’s firearm. A round was discharged during the process and it struck Paquette in his leg.
It is also reported that he was subdued by the other officer, who retrieved the firearm and placed him into custody at the Basseterre Police Station.
The Observer also understood that despite two telephone calls, no ambulance turned up and a police vehicle, after some time elapsed, took the wounded officer to the hospital.
Meanwhile, two occupants of a vehicle escaped injury Wednesday afternoon (Jun. 22) after a lone gunman fired more than a dozen shots in their direction.
According to reports, the incident occurred shortly after 4:00 p.m. while the vehicle was travelling along the island main road in the Cleverly Hill area in Sandy Point.
The unidentified gunman was said to be positioned on an empty plot of land when he shot at the couple as the vehicle was passing. However, neither of them sustained any injury but bullet holes were visible on the vehicle.
The Observer was told that the gunman made good his escape through an alleyway close to the area from which he fired the shots.
Investigations into both incidents are ongoing. .
