St. Lucia Police On Alert After Threatening Social Media Post

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, February 21, 2020 (CMC) – St. Lucia police have gone on high alert, after a message, posted on social media, threatened harm to law enforcement officers, following the death of a 22-year-old man, during an exchange of gunfire with police.

“We are not taking this lightly,” Acting Police Commission, Milton Desir, told a news conference, adding that “to threaten police officers, I consider it very serious, and I would say it is a security concern for St. Lucia”.

The threat to the police was posted on social media, after the body of Benjamin Cyril, 22, was discovered, following the exchange of gun fire with police, on Tuesday.

The police said that the investigation into the death is still ongoing, and police spokeswoman, Anne Joseph, told reporters it has not yet been determined whether it was a gunshot, fired from a police officer’s weapon, that killed Cyril.

“A post-mortem has to be conducted. There are also certain tests that have to be done, so that we can confirm that. We are not in a position to do so, at this moment,” Joseph explained.

Joseph said that, on Tuesday, police conducted an operation in Bexon, just on the outskirts of the capital, in a bid to detain several people, involved in various offences, including robberies.

She told reporters that when approached by officers, the suspects discharged a firearm in the direction of the cops, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.

According to the message, posted on social media, with a photo of the deceased, “bad boys” were being urged to take on the police.

“Your death will not pass just so,” the post read, in part.